


The Meaning of Family

by SunnyDazeSweepinCloudsAway



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Twilight AU-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 15:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 80,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18210356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyDazeSweepinCloudsAway/pseuds/SunnyDazeSweepinCloudsAway
Summary: When a car accident leaves Maggie without a home, Dr. Cullen, his wife, and their family wind up with the shy fifteen year old under their roof. Follow this Freshman girl as she makes new friends, goes on new adventures, and finally sees what it's like to have a 'traditional' family.





	1. Chapter 1

High school can be one of the worst time periods for humans in their lives. And this can even be truer in a small town where everyone knows everyone and drama is the only form of entertainment sometimes.

Here in Thompson Falls, Montana, that was just the case. Especially in my freshman class. This cloudy, and rainy in the Fall, kind of town had been my home for as long as I could remember. My Grandma Eileen grew up here too, and so did my mom and dad.

Currently, I was in sitting in my stuffy classroom, letting my algebra teacher drone on about the different formula's that we were learning. My gaze was focused on the window to my left, watching the heavy rain hit the glass hard. "…Maggie." I heard a voice whisper next to me, "Maggie, are you even listening to me?!"

It was my best friend, Maria Romo, was apparently trying to get my attention to tell me something important. "Sorry Maria, I wasn't. What did you say?"

"I just asked if you were going to come over for the Halloween party that my parents are throwing." She whispered, looking up at the chalkboard to jot down what was just written by the teacher. We both live in the same neighborhood, just down the street from each other. The Romo house is known for their open-door policy, only locked from 10:00 to 6:00. My grandmother's house always has the doors and windows locked tights, her paranoid mind not enjoying visitors as much anymore. "Tony is inviting some of his Junior friends over, so maybe there will be some cute boys."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "Yeah, maybe for you, but I'm too shy to even look anyone with a driver's license in the eyes." We both laughed, becoming quiet quickly when our stern math teacher, Ms. Crocker, gave us the stink eye.

I wasn't too into the math and science classes, preferring any kind of arts medium. My brain didn't really work when it came to the logic parts of school, but I could sit and read or paint or listen to music for hours. Grandma Eileen put in me my first ballet class at three and piano lessons by five. I have memories of her making me play for her bingo friends after they were done at the hall on Friday's. Maria was the opposite: super smart when it came to anything numbers related, but couldn't keep a tune if it was in a bucket. We kind of balanced each other out like that, which made us great friends.

Eventually, Maria and I resorted to passing notes across our shared table rather than whisper our conversation, trying to keep the attention away from us as much as possible. About halfway through the class, a rapid knocking was on the door. The Vice Principal, Mr. Kelly, stepped in with a frazzled look on his face. "Mr. Kelly," Ms. Crocker's said, setting down her white piece of chalk, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need Miss. Kringle." He explained, his gaze finding where I was sitting. The classroom filled with whispers from the other students in my class and I felt my face heat up at the attention. "Grab all of your belongings young lady." Maria, as well as the rest of the class, watched me pack my backpack up quickly. I didn't even put my papers into folders, a pit slowly forming in my stomach.

With a small wave and forced smile, I went to meet the Vice Principal at the door. He let me out of the classroom first and then began to lead me down the hall. "Do you have anything you will need in your locker, Miss. Kringle?"

I shook my head, "No sir, I don't." I almost had to jog to keep up with the tall man. "What's going on?"

"Your grandmother is in the hospital." He explained in his monotone voice. "She was on her way to the school to pick you up when she was in the middle of a car accident on Main Street." A million different thoughts were racing through my mind, but my voice seemed to disappear. "I was called to bring you down to the hospital, they will take care of it from there." I didn't have much of a choice in this situation, especially because I was still in the process of trying to comprehend what was happening.

* * *

The hospital always gave me the chills, nothing good ever coming out of them for me in general. And this trip wasn't any different. Walking into the main door, I let Mr. Kelly handle talking with the secretary and was just trying to relax myself enough to become prepared to see my grandma.

Various noises could be heard bouncing off the walls; beeping from machines, crying from children, ringing telephones. But, everything still seemed too quiet. I knew that Mr. Kelly was trying to talk to me, but I tuned him out. I didn't care what he had to say, I just wanted to see my grandma.

I followed him to the elevator and up to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital on the third floor. There were so many more doctors and nurses on this floor, and not too many rooms without glass in front of them. Finally, we stopped in front of the last door on the right, a normal door in front of it. After knocking, Mr. Kelly and I walked into the room.

Usually, my Grandma Eileen was a put together woman. Not a hair out of place, make up always on, clothes always look presentable. But with her laying in that bed, she was unrecognizable: she was bruised from the exposed skin I could see, her greying hair was all frizzy and out of place, and the hospital gown didn't help with making her seem normal. She was hooked up to all of these wires and tubes, many machines showing numbers with no meaning to me. Grandma Eileen seemed unconscious, but not just like she was sleeping.

Never, had I seen her like this before.

I felt like I wanted to cry, but I just couldn't. I walked over to the side of the bed and knelt next to it, eyes not coming off of my frail grandmother. "I'm sorry Miss. Kringle." Mr. Kelly said, seeming uninterested.

There wasn't anything I thought would be appropriate to say, I still didn't know what was actually happening. The room was quiet, other than machines doing their jobs, for what seemed like hours. I was lost in thought, just holding Grandma Eileen's hand.

A knock on the door brought me out of my trans, Mr. Kelly and I turning to see who was going to walk in the door. The doctor walked in, but he looked like he just graduated from college. Blonde hair, model type, but soft features on his face. He wore the stereotypical white doctor's coat, with black stethoscope around his neck.

"Miss. Kringle?" he asked in a calming voice. The doctor shut the door behind him after I gave a short nod. "My name is Dr. Cullen, I'm the primary doctor for your grandmother." Dr. Cullen came to Grandma Eileen's bed, opposite to me.

I didn't say anything for a moment, not really knowing where to begin when it came to asking questions. "What's happening with her?" I whispered, giving my grandma's hand limp hand a gentle squeeze.

"Unfortunately, we had to place your grandmother into an induced coma for the time being." Dr. Cullen explained. "She was in the middle of a semi-truck and SUV when the accident happened. We were surprised she was conscious when the ambulance arrived."

Finally, I looked up at the man who was taking care of Grandma Eileen. His features were relaxed, but his eyes looked like they were trying to calculate something. "When is she coming home?" I asked, not sounding very hopeful in my question.

A deep sigh escaped Dr. Cullen's lips. "As of right now, not for a long while." He began to explain, "She is in a coma, and I'm not sure when she'll wake up. Afterword's, depending on how much the body healed on its own, we can see what other rehabilitation she would need to go through."

Mr. Kelly, who was sitting in the chair by the small window, finally decided to speak up, "I mean, she was an old woman. What kind of rehabilitation would a ninety-five-year-old even  _survive_  through?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"She'll live." I said, giving the Vice Principal a glare. "She's been through worse than this, she's going to make it."

My vice principal rolled his eyes dramatically, then went back to checking his phone. "While the likelihood of her coming out is unknown, due to every coma patient's likelihood being different, I will make sure she is given the best care while she is here."

It became quiet in the room once more. Soft clicking coming from Mr. Kelly's phone or a beep from a machine. Dr. Cullen seemed to be writing down some information on a clipboard, making sure to read each number carefully. "Then, what's going to happen to  _me_  while Grandma Eileen is in here?"

"Well," Dr. Cullen said, hanging the filled-out clipboard on the foot of Grandma's bed, "while your Grandmother was still conscious, she had informed me that she requests you stay with my family and I while she is here recovering." The doctor explained slowly.

I raised my eyebrow in confusion, "I don't mean to sound rude Dr. Cullen, but why did she want me to stay with you? Does she know you from somewhere?" I asked.

"She said something about knowing my father." The doctor explained, "They might have grown up together."

 _That doesn't sound like something she would say_ , I thought, looking down at my grandma's face,  _but maybe she was panicked and didn't recognize who she was talking to exactly_.

I looked back up at Dr. Cullen, "I would hate to intrude on your home Dr. Cullen. I know there's a lot of you guys living there. I could ask my best friend's family if I can sleep on their couch until she's better."

"There is no intrusion, Miss. Kringle." The blonde doctor said, a serious tone to his voice. "Your grandmother signed the appropriate documents, and I called my wife shortly after to explain the situation. You are fully welcomed in our home." He checked the machines one last time before making his way towards the door, "My shift ends right when visiting hours end here, so I will come by then to pick you up and then we can gather some of your belongings from your home before we leave for my home tonight." All I could do was nod, trying to process this new information on top of the other information that I was previously trying to process.

I didn't watch the doctor leave, I only knew he was gone once I heard the door shut with a soft click. Shortly after, Mr. Kelly stood from his chair and announced he was leaving as well, with another quick and half-hearted apology.

For the next three hours, it was just Grandma Eileen and I in that small hospital room. Nurses would come in periodically and press different buttons on machines or jot something down on the clipboard, but there was no talking for those three hours. I didn't let go of her limp hand the entire time, only moving when one of the younger looking nurses moved the chair from next to the window to next to the side of the bed.

Six o'clock came much more quickly than I wanted it to. A soft knock, just like before, was heard from the door before Dr. Cullen walked in. He wasn't in his doctor coat anymore, just navy dress pants with a matching dress shirt and grey tie. A light looking jacket was around his arm while he was also holding a leather brief case.

There was a sad smile on his face, "Visiting hours are over Miss. Kringle," he explained, "it's time to go say goodbye."

"Can I come back tomorrow?" I asked in a whisper.

He nodded, "After school tomorrow, you can come back until six again."

That was a good enough answer for me. With a long sigh, I placed a light kiss on Grandma Eileen's hand and set it on the bed. I took the light blanket and tucked it around her body, bringing it up to her neck like she would do for me when I was sick.

Grabbing my mustard yellow backpack from the place where I threw it, I slung it on my shoulders and walked to where the doctor was waiting. He let me walk out of the room first, shutting the door behind us. I followed the tall doctor down the hallway, listening to him saying goodbye to some of his nurses and fellow doctors on our way to the elevator.

The ride down was quiet, so was the walk to his car. It was a nice car at that, I think it was Mercedes-Benz. The car must have had automatic start because the car was toasty warm when I sat in the front seat of the car. I buckled my seat belt and sat stiffly in the car, backpack on my lap. In my whole fifteen years of existence, I had never been in anything so expensive before and I was nervous I was going to ruin it somehow.

"Is this the right address?" Dr. Cullen asked as he backed out of his spot slowly. I looked at the scratch piece of paper that he had handed me. With a nod, he took the piece back and placed it into his pocket. "We will stop quickly and I will let you grab some clothes and anything else you need. My wife called before we left to let me know that dinner will be ready by six forty-five."

Again, I gave the model-looking doctor a nod, and just started making a mental list of everything I would need and how to grab it all quickly.

* * *

I didn't think I could ever pack enough clothes for a week as fast as I did when we arrived to my small house. Dr. Cullen parked on the driveway, my grandma's red Chevy missing from its usual spot. We both walked up to the front door and I grabbed the spare house key from its hiding spot in the flower box on the window. I told him I would be fast, dropping my backpack by the front door as I ran into my room as fast as I could. I grabbed the duffle bag from the hallway closet and began throwing all of my clean clothes that I didn't put away into it. My main goal was just to make sure I had something to put on my body for a week, as well as my toothbrush and hair brush. With a last thought, a couple of shoes were thrown into the mix along with my stuffed penguin, Pebbles.

Dr. Cullen took the heavy bag for me with ease and put it into his car while I locked the house back up. The drive to his home was quiet and somewhat uncomfortable, but the drive with Mr. Kelly was worse. It seemed like we were going further and further into the countryside, the lack of lights on the road were a good indication of that too. Suddenly, the road became gravel and the ride was a little bumpier than it had been.

Finally, we pulled up to the Cullen residence, and the home was nothing like I had ever seen before. From what I could make out in the dark, the home was three stories tall, with a white exterior complemented with black shutters around the many windows. A matching wrap around porch with some black rocking chairs were also a feature to this huge home I had never seen before.

My jaw must have dropped because I heard Dr. Cullen chuckle when he parked the car, "Pretty grand, eh?"

"It's beautiful." I answered, a small blush forming on my cheeks, "I've only seen homes like these in magazines before."

I stepped out of the car, slinging my backpack onto my back. "My wife will be glad to hear that, this is her finest project to date." Dr. Cullen said. I tried to reach for my duffle bag in the trunk, but the doctor was just a little faster than I was, "I've got the bag, it seems a little too heavy for you. You must have packed a lot."

"I didn't know what to bring exactly." I confessed, following him up the driveway, and then up the front stairs.

Dr. Cullen opened the front door, a soft chime coming from the security system to indicate that someone opened the front door. He set down the heavy duffle and began to take off his jacket, "Make yourself comfortable, I can take your jacket for you." After setting my backpack down on top of my duffle bag, I shrugged off my jean jacket, letting Dr. Cullen take it off my shoulders. He hung it on the coat rack and then took his brief case, placing it underneath the coat rack. "The family must be in the kitchen, right this way."

He led the way, walking in the direction of the kitchen. On the walk, I took in the interior of the house. Many pictures lined the walls, smiling faces or pieces of art work were their subjects. The walls were light colors, so was the wood floors. Everything seemed really homey, and nothing seemed like other people lived here.

Suddenly, the house became a little louder once we made it to the kitchen. A large wooden table was the centerpiece of the kitchen, and it was occupied with what I assumed was the rest of the home's residents. A woman with caramel colored hair stood from her chair, a large smile on her heart-shaped face, "Carlisle, welcome home." She walked over to her husband, the two exchanging a small kiss. "And this must be our guest." Dr. Cullen's wife turned to me, her smile seeming to grow a little more. "My name is Esme, welcome to our home."

"Miss. Kringle gives her complements, sweetheart." Carlisle said, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder, "I believe she said something about 'only in the magazines'." That caused laughter from the people sitting at the table, and a harsh blush to form on my cheeks. "I suppose I should introduce the rest of the family to you." Dr. Cullen said, calming down the laughter at the table.

A girl with short, spiky black hair stood first with a large grin on her face. She pulled on the shirt of the boy to her left, and then pulled on the shirt of the boy on her right. "I'm Alice, and these are my brothers Emmett," she gestured to the taller and muscular boy who was on her left, "and Edward." She gestured to the boy on her right, who had longer but well-kept hair.

"We're excited you're staying here." The muscular boy, Emmett, said. "Finally, evening the boys to girls ratio in the house."

Emmett had a nice, almost goofy looking smile on his face when he spoke to me. "And across from me is Jasper Hale." Alice continued, gesturing to the boy with curly blonde hair and an anxious looking expression on his face, "and his twin Rosalie is next to Emmett." The short girl was referencing to the Barbie blonde girl at the table, an analyzing look in her eyes and a frown on her face. "And mom and dad already introduced themselves, so that's everybody!"

Alice finally sat down after finishing, her smile never leaving her face. "I'm Margaret, but I prefer Maggie." I said, trying not to look anyone in the eyes. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"The pleasure is all ours Margaret." Mrs. Cullen said, pulling out an empty chair from the table, "We don't have many guests here, so this is like a bit of a treat for us too."

Dr. Cullen sat at the chair next to the one his wife pulled out, "Please, have a seat Margaret. Esme will get your plate prepared for you."

I took the seat, whispering a 'thank you ma'am' to Mrs. Cullen, "Did I hold up dinner?" I asked, my voice involuntarily shaking a little with nerves. It still felt like all of these strangers were staring at me.

"No dear," Mrs. Cullen said, "the rest of us finished dinner a little while ago, but I had asked everyone to wait to leave until you arrived so everyone could be introduced."

It seemed like that was a bit of a code phrase because all of the kids around my age seemed to stand up and begin to leave all at once. "It was nice meeting you Maggie!" Alice said, taking Jasper's hand in hers as they began to leave the room, "It'll be fun having you around!"

Emmett nodded in agreement, following Rosalie and Edward out, "Just like havin' another little sister!"

"Please bring Margaret's belongings to the guest room Emmett!" Esme called after the tallest boy, setting a small pot on the stove.

Everyone but the parents of the house had left the room, Dr. Cullen taking the day's newspaper and spreading it out at his place at the table. The room filled with a nice smell, something with vegetables for sure, and the sound of Carlisle flipping through the newspaper was the sound in the kitchen.

Before long, a bowl of soup was placed in front of me and a spoon on the side, "It's garden vegetable soup." Mrs. Cullen explained, taking a seat next to her husband. "I hope you don't mind it."

"It smells great Mrs. Cullen, thank you for dinner." I thanked, taking a small spoonful and blowing gently. After a few sips, I began to really taste the flavors and embarrassingly began to eat the soup quickly. Only after hearing a few chuckles from the adults at the table did I stop, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't eat like this. It's not lady like."

Dr. Cullen gave me a smile, "You missed lunch today Margaret, it's understandable." Esme nodded in understanding, a smile on her face too.

I took it slower after that, finishing the bowl until there was nothing left. Esme took my bowl before I could even stand up to do the dishes on my own. "You're our guest, dear, let me take care of it. Carlisle will show you to the guest room where you'll be staying."

With that, Dr. Cullen folded the newspaper up and led me to the small spiral staircase that was in the kitchen, "These are the back stairs, the main one is in the family room. Feel free to use whichever is most convenient for you." I nodded, following behind him. I was led up to the second floor, the doctor naming rooms and their purposes, like bedrooms and bathrooms, his office and other specific rooms. "…and this is Esme and I's bedroom. It is right across from yours, so if you need anything in the night, we are right here."

Carlisle stopped in front of the guest room, opening the white wooden door for me. The room was painted light yellow, a drastic opposite to my purple room at home. The bed was also much bigger, a floral quilt covering the king-sized bed. A white vanity was over by the large window and the white doors on the closet were open, nothing inside. White towels were on the bed as well, and my duffle on the foot of the bed. "Wow, this room is huge." I said softly, still taking it all in.

"I hope this will work for you during your stay Margaret." The doctor said, gesturing to the room.

I nodded, "This is plenty, more than plenty." A look of gratitude on my face, "Thank you again for letting me stay while Grandma Eileen is in the hospital."

A smile graced his features, "The pleasure is all ours. Again, if you need anything Margaret, we are right across the hall." He grabbed the door knob, "Have a good night. Make yourself at home try to get some sleep."

"You too." I said, watching him close the door.

Once he left, I let my body sink onto the bed and I flopped down. This was the first time I have been alone all day, and I finally began to process everything. Grandma Eileen was in a coma, there was no definite answer to when she would be awake, she somehow knows the Cullen family and now I'm living with them until further notice. Before I knew it, I was back on my feet and trying to put away my belongings, the closet still looking empty with the little clothes that filled it. I decided to just get into bed, whether or not I would get any sleep was still to be determined.

After putting on my plaid pajama set, I pulled back the covers and climbed into the warm bed. I reached over to turn the lamp off and placed Pebbles into my arms. My thoughts began to wander to the other people I was now going to be living with. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen seemed very nice and welcoming, Esme almost excited to have someone new living with them. Alice and Emmett seemed nice too, Alice very optimistic and Emmett almost goofy. Then there were the others. Jasper seemed anxious when he met me, not nervous or shy but almost scared. Edward almost seemed disinterested and Rosalie mad that I was there. Soon, I felt tears start to fall onto my cheeks. At first, I thought it was because of the strangers I didn't even know not seeming to like me.

But then I realized it was because, for the first time in all of my years in Montana, I was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Carlisle POV

I did not move from my spot in front of the human's door for a moment, listening carefully to see if there would be any drastic change in her heartbeat when she finally had a moment alone. After a confirmation that she still had a regular heartbeat, I went into my own bedroom and found my beautiful wife sitting at the vanity with the soft lamp lights giving the right amount of glow into the room.

Esme heard me walk in, and gave me a large smile. "Did Margaret need anything else?" she asked, her motherly instincts coming out.

I shook my head, sitting down on our California King-Sized bed. "No, she seemed content, and thanked us once again for letting her stay with us."

"Such a polite young lady." My wife mused, taking a seat on my open lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned her head on my shoulder, "You don't see too many children like that nowadays."

"You should have seen her with her grandmother." I said quietly, slightly adjusting my wife with ease, "Margaret would not let go of her hand the entire time she sat there with her."

I felt Esme nod, "She seems like something special. I'm worried she won't warm up to us though."

It was my turn to nod, "Alice doesn't seem worried about her. However, she also hasn't said anything about visions with her in general."

"I can ask her tomorrow." My wife offered, lifting her head so we could look at each other, "I already have a lunch planned to pack for Margaret, Rachel Ray had a great pasta recipe on her show this afternoon."

A laugh escaped from my mouth, "I have a feeling your cooking may win our guest over. Humans do love great food." We both couldn't help but laugh at that.

The rest of our evening was spent sharing our concerns, not only about our guest adjusting, but of our other children in this situation. We also shared our hopes about this unique predicament, and I could do nothing but enjoy all of the thoughts and possibilities that could come from this new human girl.

* * *

Maggie's POV

Sleep came late for me, somewhere around two o'clock in the morning, and it was taken from me way too early.

A knock on the door is what initially made me flip onto my back from my left side, and a voice calling my name had me sit up in bed. "Come in!" I called, rubbing the sleep from my squeezed tight eyes.

"Good morning Margaret." A soft voice said. Upon opening my eyes, all of the memories from yesterday came tumbling in and I remembered where I was, especially because of Esme's smiling face to great me in the morning. "I hope you slept well. Breakfast will be ready shortly, so feel free to get ready for school and join us for oatmeal."

I nodded tiredly, giving a small smile, "Sure, thank you for waking me up Mrs. Cullen."

The doctor's wife gave me an even bigger smile, "Of course dear, and please, call me Esme. You don't have to be so formal." With that, the caramel haired woman left the guest bedroom, closing the door behind her.

After a moment of processing my surroundings and stretching really well, I got up from the comfy bed in order to make it. Then, I grabbed my toothbrush, hairbrush, and small make up bag so I could quickly take care of my business in the bathroom. I remembered that it was a few doors down from where the guest bedroom was, and I thanked God that it was empty. Quickly, I took care of business, got my teeth brushed, and decided it was a messy bun kind of day for my light brown hair. I finished by putting on some mascara and giving up on my wild eyebrows, then went back into the guest room to get dressed.

Going along with the mess theme, it was easily decided that it would be a leggings and hoodie kind of day. Deciding to go with my Harvard maroon hoodie, I made sure to double-knot the beat-up, white high tops on my feet before grabbing my backpack and closing the door behind me, with one last look to make sure everything was clean. As a last-minute thought, I ran back into my room to grab something important. A small, silver heart locket that Grandma Eileen gave to me, explaining to me that it was her mother's, and her grandmother's and her great grandmother's. I quickly put it around my neck and tucked it safely away into my hoodie before closing the door once more behind me.

Taking the back, spiral staircase, I made it to the kitchen to see it full with the other residents of the house, all of them becoming quiet once I made it down. "Well, good morning sleepy head!" Alice chirped, "Glad you could join us!"

"I'm sorry I'm late." I apologized, sitting down in the same chair I sat yesterday, setting my backpack down next to me on the ground.

Dr. Cullen placed a warm bowl of oatmeal in front of me, holding a spoon for me to take, "You're not late at all!" the short-haired girl answered, taking the seat next to me. Emmett and Edward were leaning over the island in the kitchen, the muscular boy having one arm wrapped around the tall blonde girl next to him. Jasper didn't leave his spot by the hallway, still kind of looking anxious.

"Looks like she just rolled out of bed though." I heard a new voice comment.

The room filled with a few chuckles as I realized it was Rosalie who made the comment. Emmett and Edward were right out laughing, while Jasper seemed to be trying to cover his by looking at a spot on the ground. I felt my face begin to heat up, "What's wrong with the way I got dressed?" I asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.

Dr. Cullen took my attention back to my food after he placed a glass of cold milk in front of my bowl, "Nothing is wrong with your clothes." He began, "It's just that Alice and Rosalie really enjoy fashion, that's all."

I noticed that he shot a warning glance over to the blonde girl before leaving to join his wife at the sink with the doctor washing dishes and his wife drying. "Oh, well, I never really got into that kind of stuff." I explained, stirring the warm oats a little bit, "Grandma Eileen isn't big on fashion, just comfort."

"Well," the spunky girl next to me said, "that's just an excuse for a shopping spree! It'd be lots of fun!"

My eyes widened, "A shopping trip?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded, a wondrous look in her eyes, "I don't think I've got that kind of money Alice."

She smiled, "That's not a problem! Dad will cover it for us!"

Before I could argue about using other people's money, Esme cut off our conversation, "While I would love to talk about shopping all day, someone still needs to finish their breakfast and the rest of you need to gather your belongings for school, or you'll all be late."

"Yes mom." Alice said, getting up from her place, "I'll start planning it out Maggie, I promise it'll be fun!" With that, the kitchen seemed to become quiet empty, with me being the sole person at the table.

As I was eating my warm oatmeal, I began to think about how this was the second time I was the only one eating anything. Yesterday, Esme said that we were late and everyone else already had dinner. Today, I assumed that I was late again, and that everyone must have had their food before I made it down.

But, it turned out that I didn't have too much time to ponder what was going on, because before I knew it Esme was trading my dirty dishes for a nice lunchbox. "I made an Italian dish for you today, I hope you like pasta."

I smiled gratefully, "I do, but I feel bad that you've gone through this trouble for me." I explained, taking the new looking lunch box and fitting it into my backpack.

"It was no trouble Margaret." The woman explained, "It was a new recipe that I thought I would try. Let me know how it tastes after school."

Again, I smiled and nodded to her in gratitude. As I left the kitchen, I could see everyone else at the door getting their jackets on and their backpacks together. Dr. Cullen handed me a slip of paper, a lot of numbers written on them. "Now that you'll be staying with us for a while, I thought it would be important for you to have our cell phone numbers, as well as the home phone number." Carlisle explained.

I nodded, taking the paper and looking over the numbers, "I'll put them in my phone as soon as I can Dr. Cullen."

"Carlisle is fine Margaret." The man smiled, "Especially at home, feel free to be more causal."

After another nod from me, I watched Esme join her husband by slipping into his side embrace. If there was one thing I have learned so far from these people, they don't hide being affectionate with each other. I followed after the others, gripping the straps of my backpack tightly with a bit of nerves. "Have a great day at school Margaret." Esme called, causing me to turn around once I made it down the stairs, "Don't hesitate to call or text any of us if you need anything!"

With a small wave, I joined the others at the cars that they were piling into. "Maggie, hop in the back!" Emmett said from the driver's seat of a white Jeep. "You'll tag along with Rose and I this morning!"

I nodded, throwing my backpack in first before deciding how my short self was going to make it into this monster of a car. After pondering it for a moment, I gave it a bit of a running start, then jumping forwards and grabbing onto the seat, pulling myself in. I could hear Emmett laughing from the front seat, and once I got situated, I saw that Rosalie looked unamused with her arms folded across her chest.

"Nice one!" the muscular boy cheered, holding up a hand for me to high-five. After closing the door, I did just that, giving him a small smile.

He waited for me to buckle my seatbelt before taking off, following the others who were in a smaller silver Volvo. During the drive, Emmett seemed to be caring a one-sided conversation. It was a lot of sports conversations, and Rosalie would chime in every now and again, but I didn't really understand sports, so I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of these guys. I did take this time to put their phone numbers into my phone, just in case something was to happen and I needed any of them.

About fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the school's parking lot. It was getting pretty full with the other student's cars. Emmett parked the Jeep right next to the Volvo, close to the school's front doors. When I opened the car's door, I could hear familiar people calling my name. "Maggie!" I almost fell getting out of the car, Emmett catching me before I could actually fall on my face. "Maggie, you're alive!" Maria called, gripping her backpack straps tight as she and her brother were running towards the car.

Maria hugged me tight, trapping my arms at my side. "We heard about your grandma." Tony said, a sad tone to his voice. "Mama made you a banana bread." He held the loaf out for me to take.

I wiggled my way out of the hug, taking the loaf of bread from Maria's older brother. "Um, thanks guys."

"We didn't know where you were staying!" My best friend continued, eyeing the Cullen/Hale kids that were all still standing by their cars. "Guess we know now."

A warm blush formed on my cheeks. "Yeah, it's a long story…"

Maria, being the extrovert she is, held her hand out for a handshake, "I'm Maria Romo, Maggie's BFF and this is my brother Tony Romo." She gestured to the Junior still with us.

None of the upper classmen seemed to want to take her hand, not even Alice or Emmett, so I decided to intervene. "Hey Maria, will you come with me to Ms. Crocker's class so I can pick up my homework from yesterday?" She nodded, but didn't seem to take the hint still, "Before school starts?" I asked again, grabbing her hand and began to pull her away without waiting for an answer. I did give a quick wave to the group we were leaving behind, not wanting to be totally rude.

"Bye Maggie!" I heard Alice call, "Meet back at the car after school!"

* * *

The morning went on as usual. I did go to Ms. Crocker for the assignment I missed, then headed to homeroom with Maria. During homeroom, I filled my best friend in on my grandma's health status with the details, so she could let her mom know what was happening too. Biology, English, Geography, and Math all went by without too much drama. People were for sure whispering about me and what was happening with my grandmother, but I expected as much. It's a small town, and my grandma is well known with a lot of these kid's grandparents. Plus, a lot of people must have seen me stumble out of Emmett's Jeep this morning too, which is an unusual sight.

Finally, it was time for lunch, and I remembered that Esme packed me one. Sitting at our normal table, Maria and a few of her friends began pulling out our lunches to dig in. The table became quiet once I set the new lunchbox on the table. "What?" I asked, giving them a weird look.

"They made you a lunch?" Hannah, a girl from Maria's AP History class, asked.

I nodded slowly, "Yes, Mrs. Cullen packed me a lunch." I began to unzip the bag and take its contents out, "I thought it was nice."

The other girls nodded, getting their lunches unpacked too. "What did she pack you?" Ivy, another one of Maria's friends, asked in a smug tone, "Something fancy, right?"

"It's just pasta." I said, kind of offended that they were skeptical of everything.

Again, every nodded politely and began to dig in. It was quiet when everyone began to dig into their respective lunches, more focused on eating than talking, but I was secretly thankful for it. It was just nice to have some company while eating for once. However, as soon as I began to think I would avoid the questions from everyone, they began. "So," Maria began, "The Cullen's, huh?"

I nodded, "What about the Cullen's?" I asked.

"How weird are they exactly?" Hannah asked softly, leaning on her elbows to come closer, "Like taxidermy animals on the walls weird or having to say twenty thousand prayers before dinner then sacrifice a virgin weird?"

My eyebrows bunched together and I frowned, "That is some of the stupidest things I've ever heard."

Ivy shrugged, "I've heard some strange stuff Maggie." She adjusted her circle glasses on her face, "They're all close, but in a… _close_ …kinda way. If you get my drift."

"Tony says that the Barbie girl and the buff boy are always sitting super close in his American History class." Maria added, "Like PDA almost."

Hannah eagerly nodded in agreement, "And the curly headed one has to be whipped because he follows the short girl around like a dog on a leash."

The girls all laughed, glancing towards were the Cullen kids usually sit. I just focused on my pasta, which happened to be very delicious. "Plus," Ivy began, "they all think they're too good for this town." She swallowed a baby carrot before continuing, "Just look at their clothes: Calvin Kline, Louboutin, Gucci. We live in middle-of-nowhere Montana and they act like we live New York City or something."

Maria nodded, "And the cars?! Where does that money even come from?"

"And they don't even  _try_  to mingle with the rest of us!" Hannah added, "I've tried countless times to interact, and they just straight up ignore me!"

I finally set my fork down, a little roughly than I usually would. "Look, they're letting stay with them until Grandma Eileen gets better. It's none of my business what they do and do not do." That was my answer to everything, which didn't seem like a good enough answer for everyone, but I didn't care.

Maria sighed, opening up her Ziploc bag of cookies, "We're just looking out for you Maggie." She took a bite of the chewy chocolate chip cookie, "I don't want you getting hurt over there."

"Besides," Hannah said, digging into her bag of chips, " _everyone_  has been talking about this situation since yesterday when you left."

That was a very true statement, and it seemed to be getting more and more nosey by the minute. I wasn't deaf or blind, even though it seemed like everyone else thought so. People would point and whisper, words like 'Cullen', 'grandma', 'coma', and 'poor girl' like I couldn't understand English anymore.

And the Cullen's weren't any better. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them looking over at the table, almost like they were taking turns in a rotation to sneak a peek this way. None of them really wanted me in their house in the first place, and now I was just drawing more attention to them from all of this school's stupid gossip. Finally, I had enough. I loudly closed the lid on the pasta container, stuffed it and my plastic fork into my lunchbox, and began putting it into my backpack. "Where are you going?" Ivy asked, watching this play out.

"Somewhere where I don't have to stared at like an animal in a zoo." I explained in a huffy tone, throwing my backpack onto my back, "Or be asked inappropriate questions by people I thought were supposed to be my friends." Before anyone could say anything, I left the lunch room quickly. I had to pass the Cullen's table on my way out, but I didn't care. I had my destination in mind and chose to walk quickly past the staring upper classmen.

Walking down the quiet hallway, I went to the almost opposite end of the school to find my sanctuary for the remaining hour of lunch. The door was unlocked, like usual, and I plopped myself into one of the plastic chairs, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Mr. Simmons always encouraged me to come into his music room if I was feeling anxious or mad or sad or something else I didn't like. Even just to escape, he said his classroom is always open.

After just sitting for a few minutes, I heard the door open with a familiar voice humming. Mr. Simmons reminds many people of the famous Mr. Rodgers from the children's TV show, and I would have to agree. Not only with personality, but appearance too. He was my piano teacher when I was a little girl, and became my favorite teacher once I reached high school.

The older man didn't say anything, just kept humming his tune and took a seat at the upright piano by the window. He started to play a song he must have known by heart, the keys drawing me in as I took a seat next to him on the bench. I kept my hands in my lap, watching his wrinkled hands move across the ivory keys with ease. The song sounded very familiar, and I remembered it as my first recital song,  _Fur Elise_.

"'There is no normal life that is free of pain.'" Mr. Simmons said, not look up from the ivory keys, "'It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.' Do you know who said that?" He asked, still playing the familiar song. I shook my head no, "Mr. Rodgers. Some people think I look like him." That made me smile a little. "Try not to let this little rough patch in your life stop all of the wonderful things that you may be missing, I know that Eileen would not like that."

He ended the song, taking my hands into his own. "I'm scared." I admitted, letting a couple tears fall from my eyes.

Mr. Simmons squeezed my hands in reassurance, "And that is quite alright, my friend. But you should not let it paralyze you. Let the Universe take care of the hard things, and try to enjoy the new opportunities that it is presenting to you."

No matter how this was going to end, I knew that Mr. Simmons would always know just the right things to say.

* * *

Mr. Simmons let me stay with him for his next class, having me sit at the piano and play while his sophomore band class worked on their new piece for the Winter concert. He wrote my gym teacher a note, excusing me from the class so I could stay, but told me I needed to go to the rest of my classes for the day. I didn't talk to Maria or any of my friends for the rest of the day; I was still mad at them, but also kind of embarrassed for just leaving. But I did need that time with Mr. Simmons, just to reflect and play the piano for the band class.

So, instead of waiting for my best friend by her locker like I usually would, I made my way to where Alice told me to go after class. But, I only saw the Volvo there, Emmett's Jeep gone. Edward was standing outside of his car, leaning on it and scanning the parking lot, looking for me. I quickened my pace, coming to the car. "I'm sorry Edward, I didn't know it was going to be just you here." I apologized, watching him open the door to the passenger door for me.

"It's fine." He muttered, "Dad asked for me to bring you to see your grandmother, so everyone else went home." Edward closed my door, walking around the front of the car to get to his own seat.

Once Edward got into his car, he didn't wait for me to buckle before backing out of his spot quickly. "Oh, you don't have to do that. I'm sure I'd find another way to get there."

I heard his scoff, making a left turn onto the road, "And how exactly would that happen? You don't have a car, let alone a driver's license."

"The bus." I answered quickly, giving my driver a small glare, "Or walking." He didn't respond, just shook his head and focused on the road. At that point, I felt like I ruined the ride and made it awkward. Maybe I didn't sound grateful enough that he was driving me to the hospital, or maybe I should've just stayed quiet after apologizing for the wait.

After yet another awkward ride with a Cullen, Edward and I arrived at the hospital. He seemed to tense a little once we entered, probably not liking hospital just like myself. I thought he was just going to wait in the waiting room, but he followed me to the elevator, down the hall, and to my grandma's room. "Um, you don't have to come with if you don't want to. I know you probably don't know my grandma."

The tall boy shook his head, "I was told to stay with you until we left, Dad's orders."

I shrugged as a response and opened the door to her room. Nothing seemed to have changed today from yesterday, just a few more machines in the room. Edward followed in after me, closing the door behind us. I knelt at the opposite side of the bed this time, taking her other hand today and leaving the chair for Edward. "You can sit, if you'd live." I offered, nodding to the chair across from me.

"No thank you." He muttered, crossing his arms across his chest, "Standing's fine." Again, I shrugged as a response. I didn't want to worry over his weird attitude towards the situation, just spend time with Grandma Eileen.

Today, I didn't talk too much, just let her know that I was back and that Edward was with me too. I would squeeze her hand every once and a while, but not much more than that. However, it seemed like we were disturbed by a knock on the door. In walked Dr. Cullen, same doctor's coat as yesterday, "Hello Margaret, hello Edward." He greeted, a smile on his face, "Switched sides today Miss. Kringle?"

I nodded, "I offered Edward the chair, but he prefers to stand." I didn't look away from Grandma Eileen's face while talking to him.

Dr. Cullen nodded, grabbing the clipboard from my grandma's bed and reading it quickly, "Well," he sighed, "I'm sorry, but I think you're going to have to cut today's visit short today."

My head shot up in shock, "What?"

"Your grandmother is scheduled for testing the rest of the evening." Carlisle explained, flipping through some sheets of paper. "And by the time she's finished, visiting hours will be over." I felt my face form a deep frown, looking back at my grandmother's face. "I'm really sorry, I can give you five more minutes, but then the nurses will be in to prepare her for testing."

All I could do was nod and try not to cry. I heard some quiet whispers exchanged between the doctor and his son before the door clicked closed and I knew he left. With a soft sniff, a memory came flooding back to me. It was my first piano recital, and I didn't want to go on stage at all. Grandma Eileen had given me my locket on that day, saying she was planning on giving it to me after the recital, but thought it would give me the courage I needed to make it through the song.

Carefully, I unclasped the locket and placed it around her frail neck. "Have courage Grandma Eileen, please come back to me." I whispered, giving her hand one more squeeze before standing up. "I'm read Edward, let's just go home."

He didn't say anything, just opened and held the door open for me and led us out of the hospital and back to his car. The ride back was quiet as well, and the walk into the house. Alice and Jasper were both reading on the love sofa; Alice a magazine and Jasper a worn looking book. Emmett and Rosalie were cuddled up on the couch, an interior design show on the large television. I heard some soft music in the kitchen, and assumed it was Esme.

I was going to head to the guest room to get started on my homework when Edward stopped me by calling my name. I turned around, gripping the straps on my backpack and biting my bottom lip, waiting for him to speak. It seemed like his siblings were waiting too, because everyone was looking in our direction. "I'm sorry about your grandmother, and that you could not spend more time with her today." He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "But, I know that Dad will do everything he can to get your Grandma Eileen back to you." I bit my lip harder, holding back the tears in my eyes and just nodded at him.

After that, I darted for the back stairs so I could go into the guest room. I shut the door as soon as I could and flopped down hard onto the bed, sobbing into my pillow. I was so confused about everything going on. People I thought didn't like me were being nice, people who I thought were nice were being mean. "Grandma Eileen, you need to come back." I sobbed, turning my head to the side and sniffling hard, "I want my normal life back."


	3. Chapter 3

Edward POV

I watched the human girl run for the staircase in the kitchen, knowing that we could all hear her heartbeat begin to race in a panic. "Well," Emmett said, breaking the silence, "I don't need to be Jasper to know how Maggie feels."

"Not that I can get a decent read on her anyways." The blonde vampire said, attention back to the book he has read one hundred times over. "I'm surprised that Alice even had a vision with her in it."

It's true, something every strange was going on with this human girl.

Almost identical to losing radio connection, it seemed like sometimes all of us could use our powers normally with the human girl, and sometimes we could not. Alice was the first to break through a little last night, a vision of Margaret at the hospital with the locket. But, she tried to reach for something else the rest of the evening and nothing came to her. Jasper felt her distress while she had her lunch with her friends this afternoon, but the emotions seemed to disappear when she ran past our table and out of the room. While driving her to visit her grandmother, I could pick up a few thoughts of her feeling remorseful for the conversation we shared, but nothing after she gave the frail woman the sliver locket.

"Who knew little Eddie would try and warm the human up to him so fast?" Emmett teased, wiggling his eyebrows in a teasing manor.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "I thought it was sweet Edward." Alice added, "I think you, out of all of us, know how awful it can be to have someone as ill as Maggie's grandmother in the hospital. Especially when you can't spend time with them." The precognitive vampire gave me a sincere smile. "I'll let you know if I see anything more with the both of you. C'mon Jasper, it's a nice night for a walk." With that, the couple got up from their seats and left for the woods hand-in-hand and large smiles on their faces.

The television was still playing the home improvement show, but it did not seem like either of them were interested. I didn't need to use my gifts to know exactly what Rosalie was thinking. After Carlisle brought Margaret to the guest room last night, there was a two-hour long rant, led by Rosalie, about how this situation was a terrible one and how she should not become too close to any of us because the family would end up in danger.

All of these were valid points, but it wasn't anyone's call but Carlisle's. He and I had exchanged brief words, and my adoptive father expressed that Margaret was going to bring good things to this coven sooner or later. We would all just have to wait and see what that was exactly going to be.

* * *

Maggie POV

The night was terrible, worse than the one before. I wasn't hungry enough to leave my room for food, and no one came to offer any either, which was fine. I curled up into a ball underneath the quilt as soon I could, so they might have assumed I was sleeping. But, I don't think I got any actual sleep that night. As soon as the sun began to creep into the room from the large bay window, I decided it was time to distract myself by getting my homework finished up.

First was math, then history, then biology. Around twelve o'clock, I decided to wrap up after completing my chapter in the literature book I was assigned and find something to eat for lunch downstairs. The house was very quiet, but the average teenager would usually sleep in late on a Saturday. I know I would. But, alas, my hunger got the best of me and I needed to find  _something_  to eat.

I tiptoed down the back stairs, trying to listen for voices in the kitchen. Of course, with my luck, it seemed like everyone was in the kitchen when I got down there. Dr. Cullen and his wife were standing at the island, going through a pile of mail. Alice was writing a list at the table, Rosalie glancing over her shoulder to read it herself. Jasper and Edward were listening to whatever story Emmett was telling them. He seemed like he was the only one to notice my presence in the kitchen.

"She's alive!" the muscular boy teased, drawing the room's attention to me.

I gave them all a wave, trying to ignore their laughs or eye-rolls. "Morning." I said quietly, some sleep in my voice still. My goal was to find something to eat, and I assumed that there would be leftovers in the fridge. And, I was correct; the pot of soup was on the second shelf, ready for me to warm up and finish.

After I placed the pot on the stove top and turned it on, I noticed the doctor's wife giving me a warm smile. "Sleep well Margaret?" she asked, grabbing a bowl for me to use for my soup. "You went to bed fairly early."

"Yeah, I slept fine." I lied, not wanting to worry anyone about my lack of rest.

Emmett let out a chuckle, "Your bedhead would agree with you." That's when I noticed everyone else was already dressed for the day, and I was still in my comfy pajamas, glasses, and non-brushed hair.

Blush covered my face, "Totally didn't know you guys don't take it easy on a Saturday." I explained, "It won't happen again, I promise."

"He's just teasing you." Dr. Cullen explained. "We're all kind of morning people in this house." I nodded, bringing my attention back to my soup. But, Esme was already taking the hot pot off of the stove, and pouring some soup into the bowl.

I took it upon myself to enjoy my meal at the island, just taking in the surroundings around me. For the first time since I was brought into this situation, there was actually a very comfortable silence. Everyone was just doing their own things, not necessarily ignoring me, but just letting me enjoy the soup. Finally, I finished my bowl of warm soup and began to hand wash it in the large sink. "So, Maggie," Alice began, startling me a little when she appeared behind me. I didn't even hear her get up from her seat at the table, "have any plans this afternoon?"

"No." I answered, taking the dish towel to dry my bowl well. "I finished most of my homework this morning, and I'm not really talking to Maria right now…" I finished the last part quietly, regretting even saying it once it came out of my mouth.

However, Alice didn't seem to take notice because she was grinning from ear to ear. "That's perfect! Because our annual Fall family pictures are coming up and Rosalie, Mom and I just finalized what we're all going to wear!"

I nodded slowly, slightly confused. "Okay…I mean that's great for you guys that it was finalized and stuff, but what's that got to do with me finishing my homework already?" I asked.

"Mom and Dad want you in the picture, duh." Emmett explained, causing me to raise my eyebrows in even more confusion. I was not a Cullen or a Hale, what was I invited in the family picture for? "You're stayin' for a while, it only makes sense to have you included."

Again, I must have looked very confused because Esme had to explain further, "What my children are trying to explain is that we would love to include you in our picture this year, a unique memory for all of us. If you do not want to join us, that's perfectly fine as well, dear. Carlisle and I thought it would be a beautiful picture to have."

Now it was uncomfortably quiet in the room. While I didn't want to decline the offer because I felt it would be rude, I also didn't want to ruin the picture. It wasn't like I was always going to be here with these people, and a lot of them I could tell still didn't want me here. But, it would be a nice piece of memory to have, and a great story to tell Grandma Eileen when she woke up.

"I would love to." I smiled, a genuine one, "But if your change your mind before the picture, that's okay too." I quickly added at the end, a very serious tone in my voice.

Dr. Cullen and Esme both shook their heads. "That won't happen Margaret." The doctor said, an equally serious tone in his own voice. "This is your choice, and we are all happy to have you with us for the picture." The uneasiness seemed to ease in the room after he said that, and the smile still remained on my face. "Now, as soon as you're dressed Margaret, we can all get the shopping over with and return back home for the evening."

* * *

Alice decided to help me get dressed with the clothes that I brought, claiming that she just wanted to see if I had anything good to work with. I was proud to say that I did have 'something good to work with', thank you very much.

She decided that a white cardigan, emerald green blouse, black jeans, and brown booties would do. Alice also decided to braid my hair on the fly, having a lot of long hair to work with and she seemed so happy, I couldn't complain. Alice was really chatty during all of this, something I wasn't too used to. She talked about her favorite designers to other ways she would do my hair if it was her own to why she thinks it's better to complement with your significant other and not match. I never had an older sister before, but I was beginning to guess that this is what it would be like. And I really enjoyed it. After convincing her that I didn't need loads of makeup, mascara was just fine, we were both satisfied enough to join the others. I grabbed my small, tan saddlebag purse from the bottom of my duffle back, I followed the tiny girl out of the guest room and downstairs.

Esme complemented by outfit and hair as we walked out the door, and she took note that I didn't have a jacket with me. After explaining that it was at my house, she told her husband that we needed to grab it before coming back to the Cullen house so I wouldn't freeze.

I was surprised we all took one car, but I suppose I shouldn't have been. It was a large, black SUV, and Alice had me sit next to her and Jasper in the back row. She was in the middle, and I noticed her left hand holding Jasper's right hand tightly. While we drove, the car was filled with a few different conversations and left no room for an uncomfortable silence. The thoughts about what the girls said at lunch yesterday seemed to filter into my mind a little. While I was still a firm believer that it was none of my business what these guys did, I guess their rumors were coming up true. Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, and of course Esme and Carlisle.

Soon enough, we were at the outdoor shopping center and piling out of the large SUV. I still had zero idea what exactly we were going to be doing, but I was down for just taking a walk around outside. The first stop was a large department store, and the boys and I all shared the same bored looking expressions. The girls, however, looked like they were on an exciting adventure. They wove us through the different racks and rows of colorful Fall fashion, grabbing things as they went along. At some point, I believe about a half hour later, I had an armful of clothes that I was trying to peer over to follow everyone. There were lots of sweaters in my arms, along with colorful blouses, wool scarfs, and even a pair of riding boots. Finally, it seemed like we were finished looking for this specific event because we reached the counter to check out.

Alice, Esme, and Rosalie were taking the piles of clothes from the boys, all of them looking relieved to be finished. Dr. Cullen took me by surprise by taking my pile from me. "I believe the boys were going to walk around for a little while, if you would like to join them Margaret." He offered, gesturing to the boys who were getting ready to walk out of the department store. "I'm sure they won't mind." Carlisle whispered, a smile on his face.

"C'mon Mags!" Emmett called, "Let's make our escape before it's too late!" Of course, I knew he was teasing the girls, but I still laughed anyways. I gave Dr. Cullen a wave goodbye and joined the older boys as they were walking out.

I followed behind the three brothers, my arms wrapped around my body to help keep myself warm. "So, where are we off too?" I asked, jogging a little to keep up with their larger strides.

Edward shrugged, "Emmett and I were going to look at the sporting goods store. We need a new dart board because  _someone_  broke the last one."

It was almost like the tallest brother looked offended, "Why don't you just right out say what you mean Eddie?!" Emmett asked, "And besides, it wasn't  _just_  me who broke it."

Jasper was shaking his head, a smile on his face. "I was planning on going to the bookstore if you would like to join." The quiet boy offered, gesturing to the store up ahead.

"That sounds great." I said, waving goodbye to the other brothers as they went the other way towards the large sporting goods store. Jasper opened the door for me, letting me go in first. I had never been in this bookstore before, and it was very quiet and small. "Looking for anything specific?" I asked the blonde twin.

He shook his head, "No, but it's quiet in here."

That I could agree fully with. I could only see one other person in here, and it was the owner at the counter. Jasper began making his way through the aisles, and I followed behind him, letting my fingers graze over the spines of the books. I did like to read, preferring fantasy or fictions novels than historical ones. However, it seemed like Jasper was the opposite. He would stop and actually pick up the books that had a historical figure on the cover, maybe even look at the summaries on the back. But would always put them back.

"You know," he said, causing me to turn quickly and look at his face. His expression was soft, a smile on his face and his eyes playful, "You don't have to follow me around. If you want to look at a different section, I will not leave without you."

I gave him a smile back, "Okay, and I won't leave without you either." I said, turning around to move out of the aisle and to a different part of the store. I chose the one close to the window, a small shelf with a bunch of chairs around them.

These books were books I read when I was in elementary school.  _Matilda_ ,  _The Giver_ ,  _Holes_ , and so many more were on the tiny shelf. It was almost like a comfort to see all these familiar books, and I couldn't help myself, so I grabbed a few and sat down.  _Anne of Greene Gables, Bridge to Terabithia_ ,  _Little House on the Prairie_ ; all of them brought back memories of Grandma Eileen sitting and listening to her read these stories to me on a cold night.

I must have been so immersed in the book that I picked up, I didn't hear Jasper sit next to me until he spoke, "Find something?" He asked, a few books in his lap.

"Last time I read these, I was a little girl." I explained, handing him the stack of books.

He looked them over silently, a smile on his face. "So, are you getting them?" Jasper handed the stack back.

"If I was going to get any," I began, "I would only get the classics. But, I don't have that kind of money and I don't need any of them."

Jasper looked confused, "But, if you'd like them, I would be happy to purchase them for you."

My eyes widened, "I couldn't ask you to do that Jasper." I explained, "They're just books."

"Exactly," he said, standing up from his seat, "they're just books. Pick the ones that you like and we can check out." In the two days that I knew this boy, I had not seen him smile so genuine towards me.

* * *

I only let Jasper buy two books, even though he insisted on buying all the books in my lap.  _Charlotte's Web_  and  _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_ , were stacked on top of the pile of clothes I was handed to hang up. Alice insisted that they all be hung up as soon as we got home so that they wouldn't get ruined or wrinkled. I had asked why they bought all the extra clothes, and Esme explained that things could change on the fly in this house, so it was just better to have options than not have everything.

After hanging everything up, I placed the books on the bedside table by the lamp, and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Esme and Carlisle were the only ones in the kitchen, cookie sheets lining the stove. They both looked a lot less graceful than I was used to seeing them, running all over the kitchen grabbing various different ingredients. "What are you guys doing?" I asked, startling the two enough to make them turn around to face me quickly.

"The Halloween party at the hospital is Wednesday," Carlisle said, setting down a bag of flour, "and I was signed up to bring in Halloween themed cookies."

I nodded, taking a seat at the island to watch the two gather the rest of the things needed, "Do you mind if I hang out in here?" I said softly.

Esme smiled, "You're more than welcome Margaret, but if you wanted to join the others, I think they are in the game room."

"Nah." I shrugged, leaning on my elbows, "This is a little more my speed anyways."

Both adults just laughed, getting to work on the baking. There was a printed-out recipe on the counter, and it seemed like the two were a little frazzled when it would come to measuring out ingredients or how long to mix something. "Baking not your thing?" I asked, watching Carlisle try to even out a scoop of flour in the measuring cup.

Dr. Cullen looked up, a playful smile mirroring my own, "I'm a doctor, not a baker." He admitted, "And we don't really enjoy sweets here."

"That's a big bummer." I confessed, "Grandma Eileen loves to bake, especially in the Fall and Winter."

Esme and Carlisle were both looking at me, still measuring and stirring respectively. "Was that something you did together?" The doctor's wife asked.

I chuckled, shaking my head, "More like  _tried_  to do together. I'm too picky about following the rules to bake. Kind of like you guys." I gestured to the nearly clean kitchen in front of me, "Grandma always says a messy kitchen means something is going right. But, I just think it's a big mess."

It was their turn to laugh, "Nothing wrong with precision." Dr. Cullen said, "I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I wasn't."

That was a very fair point. "Is that how you two met?" I asked, "At the hospital, I mean."

I noted Esme pause for a brief moment, but she kept stirring the flour in with the butter. "Yes actually." She answered, "I had broken my leg and he ended up casting it for me."

"A great Romeo and Juliet story, huh?" Carlisle teased, nudging his wife playfully.

I felt a smile form on my face, "It has to be fate then, right? If you never broke your leg, you two probably would have never met and never would've fallen in love." Okay, I admit it; I'm a bit of a sucker for a good love story.

Esme gave a smile too, "I guess you're right Margaret." It fell into a comfortable silence for a while after I asked that.

The couple worked really well together, almost like they knew each other's next move before they knew. It wasn't until they were cutting the dough into pumpkin shapes to bake did someone speak up. "May I ask a question Margaret?" Esme asked. I nodded, watching her place a blob of dough onto the pan, "Is your name just Margaret Kringle?"

"No." I answered, shaking my head, "My full name is Margaret Eileen Kringle." I shrugged, "It's a family name slash tradition thing."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows like he was interested, "Do you mind enlightening us?"

"The middle name is always the grandmother's name." I explained, "For example, Grandma Eileen's name is Eileen May Kringle. May is my great-great grandmother's name."

The pair nodded in understand, "So, is there another Margaret in your family?"

I shook my head, "Not that I know of. Grandma Eileen said that my dad really like that name, but that's all I know." It seemed like they wanted to keep asking more, but neither of them did. Which I was grateful for.

Soon, the oven's alarm began going off and the cookies went into the oven. The duo was in the middle of washing the used dishes when Alice and Jasper entered the kitchen: Alice skipping and Jasper trailing behind with a smile. "There you guys are!" She chirped, bouncing onto the seat next to me. "We picked out a movie for family movie night. Well, Emmett and Edward fought over a movie and Edward won."

Esme and Carlisle rolled their eyes, "Please tell me nothing is broken this time." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Just Emmett's feelings." Jasper joked, making me chuckle.

Carlisle shook his head, "Why don't you get comfortable clothes on Margaret and meet us all back down when you're ready." He offered, "The cookies should be finished by the time you're ready."

I smiled, "Okay, I'll be fast." I promised, stumbling off of the stool as I was trying to go quickly.

We never really had 'family movie night' at my house. While we had a lot of common interests, she didn't really enjoy movies enough to stay awake through them. Even the ones she picked to watch. Taking the steps two by two, I slid into the guest room and found my clean pajamas for the night: grey sweatpants with a green long sleeve shirt. After debating on if I should put my glasses on or not, and opting to put them on just in case, I took the main staircase for the first time into the family room.

Everyone was already spread out over the room: Edward was occupying the leather recliner, Emmett had Rosalie leaning on his chest on the small love seat, Alice and Jasper were laying on the plush rug with pillows under their head, and Esme and Carlisle sat next to each other on the couch. I was at a loss for where to go and sit, because it seemed like everything was taken.

"We saved you a seat here." Carlisle said, patting a spot on the couch next to him.

I slowly made my way to the couch, sitting on the couch and bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Once I got situated, Edward stood up with a DVD in his hands. "What's tonight's  _boring_  movie Eddie?" Emmett grumbled, trying to get a ruse from him.

"Tonight's cinematic classic," the tall boy began, opening the box, "is Casablanca."

Polite applause came from the audience sitting on the ground, as well as Esme sitting on the other side of the doctor. "Have you seen it before?" Esme asked.

I shook my head, "Never, but there's a plane involved, right?"

The lights began to dim as the TV's bright light took over. "You just wait and see." Edward smiled, sitting back down in his chair to enjoy the film.

I don't remember much of the movie, maybe the first half hour. But, as it went on, my head and eyes began to droop to the point where I had to pinch myself in order to stay awake. However, once someone (I think Esme) covered me with a blanket, it was all over. All I remember was being carried up to the guest room and being tucked into the large bed by two people, one brushing the stray hair from my eyes and the other placing my glasses on the bedside table with my books.


	4. Chapter 4

Esme POV

Casablanca, I thought, was a great choice for Edward to make. I was surprised that Margaret had never seen the classic film before. Then again, she is still a fairly young human. When the movie started, I made myself comfortable next to my loving husband. Cuddled up into his side with his arm wrapped around me, I couldn't help but notice that the young human girl on the other side of Carlisle was slowly falling asleep. Her head would dip slightly when her eyes remained shut for a while.

I couldn't help the smile on my face, nudging for Carlisle to look for himself. "Her heart rate has slowed." He whispered quietly, voice so low I would only hear it, "She fell asleep."

The smile seemed to grow even larger, seeing the tender look in his gorgeous eyes as he peered down at the girl. "I'll be right back." I whispered softly, slowly moving myself from his side-cuddle.

Getting up from the couch, I went to the linen closet nearby to grab a throw blanket that was folded on one of the shelves. The soft, blue material would keep the girl warm and maybe a little more comfortable. When I went back to the couch, she was unknowingly resting her head on Carlisle's right shoulder. I came around and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, watching her nuzzle into my husband's side to find a more comfortable position on the couch.

We both spent the remainder of the classic movie watching Margaret sleep, her face never looking so peaceful to us.

The movie ended and my five adopted children slowly filtered out of the room, stealing glances over at the sleeping human next to us before going to their own rooms for the remainder of the evening. "Should we wake her?" I asked.

"No." Carlisle shook his head, "She has not been sleeping well, and I would rather carry her up to her bed than wake her up and not know if she would fall back asleep."

I nodded in agreement, standing from the couch and waiting for my husband to pick up Margaret. He did so carefully, holding her like a newlywed groom carrying his bride. We both silently walked up the large staircase, and I opened the guest bedroom's door for Carlisle. I folded back the floral quilt for him so he could lay the sleeping human down gently in the large bed. He took her glasses, placing them on the side table. I brushed some loose hair away from her face, watching a small smile form on her sleeping face.

Carlisle and I took a brief moment to make sure Margaret was still asleep before we both left her for the night.

Maggie POV

Sunday was an uneventful day. I had actually gotten a goodnight's rest and slept in until noon. Esme had a plate full of delicious brunch food made for me when I entered the kitchen, backpack with me so I could spread out at the table and get my homework finished. No one came to join me while I was working, but I took a break to help Mrs. Cullen finish making cookies for the Halloween event at the hospital.

The shrill bell rang, indicating that my history class was over and it was time for lunch. It brought me out of my thoughts about the weekend with a start, jumping a little in my desk. I gathered my things, stuffed them into my backpack and left class before I could be stopped by any of my classmates on my walk out. I still wasn't talking with Maria or any of the other girls I usually eat lunch with, even though I had made many attempts to try. They were all ignoring me; I would say hello and they would look past me, I would complement their outfits and they would turn in the opposite direction. I just couldn't win.

On my walk in the crowded hall, following the flow of traffic with the other students making their way to the cafeteria, I last minute decided to ditch the crowds of people and go to Mr. Simmons room to have lunch instead.

I turned sharp on my heels, not paying attention, and bumped right into a tall body. Thankfully, I was caught on arm and didn't fall down. "Running late?" the person asked, a joking tone in their voice.

It was Edward and he let go of me once he knew I was stable on my feet. "Just a change of plans." I explained, gripping my backpack straps, "Mr. Simmons lets me use his classroom for a place to escape to if needed, so that's where I'm headed."

"Mr. Simmons," He started, "the music teacher?"

I nodded, "He and Grandma Eileen grew up together, so I've known him forever." He nodded back, "If you wanted to come, I'm sure he won't mind."

Edward shrugged, "Sure, why not." I noticed a small smile come onto his face.

I led him down the hall, going against the traffic flow to make our way down to the music room. It was almost like Moses parting the Red Sea: people saw Edward and I coming, and would make a perfect path for us to walk. While Edward didn't seem to notice, I definitely did. I was a tiny little freshman and people usually just walked all over me, not move out of their way for me.

It wasn't a long walk to the familiar room, and just like on Friday, it was empty. Except for Mr. Simmons. He was sitting at a circular table, open music books covering the table. He must have heard the two of us walk in because he turned to us with a grin on his face. "Miss. Kringle, so nice to see you again dear." Mr. Simmons stood slowly, making his way over to the two of us standing at the door, "And who is your new friend?"

"This is Edward Cullen." I introduced, "I'm staying with him and his family while Grandma Eileen is still in the hospital."

The music teacher and the tall Cullen brother seemed to be looking each other up and down in some kind of inspection of each other. "Pleasure to meet you, young man." Mr. Simmons said, turning to me, "I need to have a talk with Mr. Kelly so I'll leave you two to your lunch." He went to collect a couple of music books from the table, then walked out of the room, "Just remember to get to your next class on time." And with that, he was gone.

It was quiet in the music room, something I found a little ironic. I took Mr. Simmons place at the table, ready to break out my lunch, when I saw Edward looking over some of the shelves with sheet music on them. "Hungry?" I asked, opening the packaged salad kit. "We can share."

He shook his head, "No, I'm alright." Edward picked a small folder, examined the sheet music, and brought it over to the piano.

I watched him take a seat, looking on in interest while I began to eat my lunch. He set the music up, looked it over once, and then began to play. My face began to form a large smile as I sat and watched him totally immersed with the music. It was by Tchaikovsky, Lily of the Valley to be precise. I found myself beginning to eat faster, wanting to finish and join him at the piano to get a closer look.

After finishing the salad in record time, I packed up my things and joined Edward on the bench at the piano. His fingers moved so easily over the ivory keys, almost reminding me of Mr. Simmons. "I had no idea you played." I said softly, following along on the sheet music.

"Yes, I play." He answered simply, not missing a beat with the song, "Do you?"

I nodded, "Mr. Simmons taught me when I was a little girl."

Edward smiled, a chuckle coming from him, "Don't tell Esme." He said, "Or she'll make you sit and play for her too."

"Grandma Eileen is the same way." I explained, listening for him to finish the familiar song.

After he was finished, he took the music off of the stand, grabbed another piece from the folder and began to look it over, "Ever play this?" Edward asked, showing it to me.

It was Starlight Nights – another Tchaikovsky piece. "No, but I do enjoy the song. Is he a favorite composer of yours?" I asked, watching him place the sheet music onto the stand.

Edward began to play before answering my question, "Well, his most popular ballet is a common request for this time of year." He explained, "So, I might as well warm up with something else of his before I have to play the same couple of songs the rest of the year."

I laughed, "I understand. Grandma Eileen would have me play Ode to Joy for her Bingo friends every single Friday so they could all 'sing' along." He laughed at that.

"She must enjoy hearing you play." Edward said, "You'll have to play for me at some point."

My eyes widened, "Are you crazy!? You're like another Mozart with your skills! I am not that good."

He shook his head, "I'm sure you play very well, having played for that long. I only began once I moved in with Carlisle." It became quiet after that, an unsure kind of silence in the air.

I decided to be a little brave and ask, "How did that happen?" I whispered, paying attention to his fingers playing the song.

"My mother and I were very ill." He said simply, "Dad was both of our doctors, and while he could make me better, my mother wasn't so fortunate."

Edward didn't seem awfully sad about it, but there was a tone in his voice that seemed to hold onto something. "I'm very sorry Edward." I said, looking at his face with a sad frown on my face.

I watched him shrug, "I tell myself that I've gotten past this." Edward explained, "There are good and bad days. But, without Carlisle and Esme, I don't know where I'd be."

"Your dad is a good man." I said sincerely, "So is your Mom."

Edward nodded, finishing the song he was playing, "Yes, they are."

Edward and I spent the rest of lunch with Edward playing different classic songs while playing a simplified version of twenty questions. The rest of the school day consisted of me dodging the majority of my classmates and starting a text chat with Edward about different pieces of music we enjoy playing.

He took me to visit Grandma Eileen again today, but just dropped me off saying something about going home to find some classic pieces that the both of us could work on together. Grandma Eileen was lying in her bed, silver locket still around her next. Dr. Cullen explained that the tests came back and showed that her body was healing, but they were going to have to perform surgery on her hip once she woke up.

I spent my time her explaining my predicament with my friends. On one hand, I did miss Maria a lot; we have known each other for years and I would do anything for her. But on the other hand, these still somewhat strangers were taking me into their family with open arms and I enjoyed their company a lot. I also told her about the different people in the house and what I thought about them.

Obviously, I was very grateful that Dr. Cullen let me in under his roof and fed me the food from his table. Esme had been nothing but kind to me, playing her role as doting mother very well. Edward and I finally found something to bond over and it seemed to make us begin to see eye to eye more. Alice was all about being the older 'sister' here which was something new for me. Jasper was still a bundle of nerves most of the time I was with him, but could be a gentleman a great majority too. Emmett was still goofy and loud and big, but could still make me laugh really loud. And then, there was Rosalie. Every single time I was in the room, there was a deep frown on her face. I would see Emmett whisper something into her ear sometimes, wrapping her into an embrace. But she would just leave the room in a huff. I still didn't understand, but it did hurt a little bit.

Around six o'clock, Carlisle came to pick me up and the two of us left to return home. I told him about my day and how Edward and I played piano all during lunch. He seemed happy that the two of us were growing closer. Esme had prepared dinner for me when I got back; a chicken-salad sandwich with peppers and hummus as a side. I had it quickly, apparently too fast because the doctor said that I was going to choke if I went any faster. But I wanted to get my homework done so I could join Edward and see what music he found.

He found me in the guest room, an egger smile on his face and an armful of sheet music. I followed him into a room I had never been in before, but I quickly dubbed the music room because of the large grand piano in the middle of the room. There were other instruments around as well, but Edward and I just sat at the piano for what felt like hours. He tried to convince me to play, but I told him I needed some more practice alone before I would feel comfortable enough to play in front of him.

Esme put our fun to an end around ten-thirty, claiming that we both needed to get ready for bed soon. I thanked Edward sincerely for letting me sit and listen to him play all evening. He was bashful, but admitted he had a good time as well. I went and showered after we both went to our rooms for the night, and was pulled out of mine right as I was climbing into bed by Alice. She wanted to braid my hair before I went to bed, and I was in such a good mood, I couldn't refuse. She came back to my room with a bag full of hair elastics soon after and did two French braids going down my back, talking through the whole process. That's how Dr. Cullen came and found us closer to midnight, and told us both that we had to go to bed now. Alice left after saying goodnight twenty times as I climbed into bed. Carlisle made sure I was tucked in really tight, he turned off the bedside lamp before saying goodnight himself.

This family was an interesting one, but I was beginning to enjoy where I was fitting into it.

Today was the day before Halloween, and it also happened to be school picture day. At school, you take your school pictures during lunch time, so I couldn't escape into Mr. Simmons room today for all of lunch. But, I had the Cullen/Hale gang to stand with so I wasn't too nervous about going into the cafeteria today.

Alice had scared me into letting her dress and style my hair. She said that Esme and Grandma Eileen would really like a nice picture of me this year, and Alice said she could perfectly see what I would look best in. Jasper also seemed to agree with the short girl about her choice, and I just couldn't deny the twin boy. So, Alice woke me up two hours before school in order to curl my whole head of hair and make sure that she still liked her choice of outfit. It was a navy blue, knee length dress with a yellow cardigan and tan flats. Edward and I were kind of coordinating too, something Emmett teased his brother about. The pianist brother was in navy blue dress pants with brown loafers and a yellow dress shirt. Esme and Carlisle said that we both looked very nice and the caramel-haired woman insisted that we both take a picture together before we went to school.

Of course, the others all looked really good too, even better than myself in my opinion. Rosalie had on a pair of ripped skinny jeans with a black sweater and blanket scarf to match while Emmett had on ripped jeans as well with an unbuttoned flannel and white t-shirt. Jasper was wearing dark wash jeans with a nice blue and white dress shirt while Alice wore a large white sweater with maroon colored jeans.

Currently, I was still waiting in line to get my picture taken, the others waiting for me to finish so I could take whoever wanted to go to Mr. Simmons' room. I told Edward I was ready to play something short and some of the others wanted to come too. Soon, my name was called and I went up to the stool to take my picture. The spunky short Cullen girl ran in quickly to fix my hair really quick, causing the photographer to look annoyed and Jasper had to drag her out of the frame.

I smiled once the photographer was ready, actually feeling like this picture was going to be the best one I've ever taken. I usually didn't care what I was going to look like in these pictures because Grandma Eileen never expressed that she wanted me looking fancy or nice, so I was just in my classic sweatshirt and messy bun. But now, I was excited to see how it was going to turn out.

After I hopped off the stool, I thanked the patient man for taking my picture. Edward told me that it was going to be a good picture, seeing it appear on the computer that was hooked up to the camera. The six of us went to the table where we dropped our bags before heading for the doors to leave.

"Wow," a snarky voice said, causing me to turn around. It was Ivy, Maria and Hannah with her. "look who's trying to stand out now."

Hannah nodded in agreement, "Too good for a regular picture day outfit now?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Ivy rolled her eyes dramatically, "Look at what you're wearing Maggie. Torrie Burch shoes, seriously? What happened to beat up converse?"

"And your hair?" Hannah added, "How long did you spend burning those split ends?" The two of them laughed, Maria not daring to make eye contact with me while they fired their hurtful words in my direction.

The Cullen's all just stood by, paying attention but not jumping in. "I really liked how I looked today." I whispered, looking at my shoes.

Again, they both just laughed, "Well, we came over here so Maria could tell you something." Hannah said, pushing my great friend closer to me, "Isn't that right Maria?"

She still wouldn't look up from the ground, head hanging so that her bangs were covering her eyes, "I…I'm uninviting you to the party tomorrow Maggie." She mumbled.

"What?" I asked in shock, "But…But we always go together. We dress up in matching outfits and…and we have our sleepover." I stuttered out, trying to get Maria too look me in the eyes.

Ivy answered for Maria who seemed to have lost her voice, "Well, you're not doing that this year. The three of us have other plans that don't include you or your freakish new friends." She made it a point to give the upperclassmen behind me a glare of disgust.

I was shaking at this point, trying to understand why they were being more mean than usual while also trying to keep tears at bay in front of people. Before I could respond with anything, witty or not, the trio left with more laughter, Maria not even looking back to see me standing there. "Just ignore them Margaret." Jasper said, coming up behind me, "They don't understand."

My body still wouldn't relax, a shiver running through my body. I felt Edward try and grab my hand to hold, but I pulled away quickly, gripping my backpack straps tightly and running as fast as I could out of the lunch room.

I wanted so badly to go to Mr. Simmons' room, but I knew they would find me there. The girl's bathroom also wasn't an option because that was full of people, and I just wanted to be alone. So, I went to the one place no one would think to look: the gym's locker room. I threw my bag down on the bench forcefully and just sat there with my head in my hands. I was scared to cry, not wanting anyone to find me to try and ask what was wrong. I made it a point to just bite my lip as hard as I could and hold back the tears.

The bell rang and the school day went on. I was only half there, not making any eye contact with anyone, not listening to anyone, not talking to anyone. When the last bell of the day did ring, I made my way to the usual meeting spot to find Emmett as the one waiting for me today. No Volvo, no Rosalie, just the muscular Cullen brother. "Hop in Curly." He greeted with a smile, "You got shot gun today!" I threw my bag on the ground, hoisting myself up into the tall vehicle.

After slamming the door shut and buckling my seatbelt, Emmett backed out of his parking spot and went into the line of other students leaving school as well. "So, here's what I'm thinkin'." He started, turning to look at me, "We hang out with your granny for a while and on our way home, stop and get some ice cream for dinner and then find something to teepee your friend's house with tonight."

I shook my head, "No? No to what part?" He asked, "We don't have to teepee if you don't want. We could always egg them instead. And I'm sure at least Edward would be game to do something like that tonight."

"I mean no to it all." I said.

Emmett looked even more confused, "All of it? But, you always go see your granny after school?"

"I just want to go back to your house." I answered in a whisper, trying to keep my tears away, "I just want to get out of this dress, tie up my hair, and be alone." It became very uncomfortable in the car, but I didn't care. My feelings were still shattered from this afternoon and I just wanted to get through them in peace.

He did respect my request to go home, which I was very thankful for. We pulled up to the house and I made my way quickly up to the guest room, throwing my bag down on the floor by the foot of the large bed. I slipped out of the dress and into a pair of leggings with a hoodie quickly, tying my hair up right after I was done getting clothes on. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt like I was going to get sick. Opening the window up for fresh air, I grabbed the vanity's small stool and sat in front of the fresh air coming in.

I have no idea how long I sat there alone, but it became dark quickly and I still didn't feel any better. Maybe my friends were right, maybe I had changed in a bad way. I didn't feel like I changed at all, just made some new friends that were all really nice and welcoming to me that I lived with. But, maybe they were just really good at pretending, and trying to rope me into something that I wouldn't like at the end of the day. Good things rarely come to me, so I shouldn't get too comfortable.

A knock on the door broke me out of my brooding briefly, but I didn't respond for whoever it was to come in. They just welcomed themselves right in and closed the door behind them. "You know, you shouldn't let them get to you." It was Emmett. He was kneeling next to where I sat, trying to get me to look at him, "Jasper was right, they just don't get it."

"What's there to get?" I asked, looking more at the ground than in his eyes.

He sighed, probably trying to figure out how he was going to word his next statement, "I'm not really sure, but maybe that you could be moving on without them and they're scared that you found better people than them?"

I did meet him in the eyes when he said that, "But Maria is my best friend. Or was my best friend." I felt my eyes water, "Why would she say that to me Emmett? Does she not want to be my friend anymore?"

A rouge tear escaped my eye and I felt it drip down my cheek, "I think she still wants to be friends." He said seriously, "Those other two seemed to put her up to it. But, in my experience, even a true friend wouldn't act how she has been." Emmett opened up his arms as an invite for a hug, seeing more tears fall down my face while he was talking.

"What am I going to do?" I sobbed, letting all the tears come out. I fell into his strong arms, letting them fold me into his chest.

We just sat like that for a while, he let me get out all of the tears that had been building up all day, not caring that his shirt was going to be stained with tears for the rest of the day. Once I began to calm down, I looked up at him. "I'm sorry Emmett, I'll wash your shirt for you."

He laughed, "It's just a shirt Mags, it's fine." Emmett gave me my shoulders a soft squeeze in reassurance, "But I just want you to know, no matter what's going to happen with those bullies of yours, we've all got your back."

I sniffled, nodding in understand. I wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him my own hug in return, "Thanks Emmett, you're a good brother."


	5. Chapter 5

Emmett POV

Mags seemed to feel better after she got all those tears out. I almost forgot how much a human can cry, but she sure did remind me. After she was done with the water works, I asked her if she wanted to do anything special for the night and all she wanted to do was read. Being the 'big brother' that I am, I had to tease her about it, but left her alone like she asked.

I walked down the stairs, seeing my adoptive siblings along with my beautiful wife all sitting in the family room in the middle of a discussion. Alice stood up quickly when she saw me come in, "I swear I didn't think she was going to cry Emmett." She claimed, hands up in defense.

"It was fine Al." I confessed, taking a seat next to Rosalie, "But I hope you nerds heard her say that I was a good  _brother_!"

Jasper rolled his eyes, "You already know that we did Emmett." He shook his head, "I am still in disbelief about her friends at school." The blonde pathokinesis vampire confessed, "I never felt something that broken come from Margaret, and she has gone through worse since we have known her."

His wife took his hand once she sat down, "She'll be alright Jazz. Maggie's a strong human."

"If you wanna Jazz," I began, cracking my knuckles, "I offered to teepee or egg their houses with Mags if you want in."

Rosalie hit me in the arm, "You better not Emmett, whether the  _human_  wants you to or not."

"She doesn't want him to." Edward clarified, tapping the side of his head in an indication that he was able to read her mind, "Besides; Alice, Jasper and I are going hunting this weekend, leaving once Esme and Carlisle return from their quick 'date night' tonight."

The couple both nodded in confirmation, "And you two are meeting with Kate and Tanya at the lake house, remember?" Jasper said.

I did forget until the blonde reminded me. Rosalie had been planning this for a month now, especially because the sisters were currently traveling the country as a 'vacation'. Plus, it's nice to get away from everyone else sometimes and just be the two of us.

"Well, what about Mags?" I asked, genuine concern in my voice.

My wife shrugged, "What about her? Carlisle and Esme are still here."

I saw Jasper smirk, "And if she asked, I bet Edward would leave early to be with her." He teased, causing Alice to giggle next to him. That made me laugh. While we all had our contemplations about the closeness between Eddie and Maggie, I didn't think Jazz would be the one to out him on his recent behaviors towards her.

* * *

Maggie POV

The weekend came and went without too much going on.

Carlisle and Esme were the only ones here for most of the weekend because Edward, Alice and Jasper were going to Seattle to visit some of their friends while Rosalie and Emmett were visiting their cousins or something. Dr. Cullen and his wife were going to the party at the hospital and invited me to come with them, but I declined the offer. I really had to work on my history project, and thought that the best time would be when the house was mainly empty of distractions. I took that time to create my outline for Clara Barton, the topic of my project. That was a much longer process than I had anticipated because it was dark before I had finished. Once I was done for the night, I took the opportunity to explore the house that I had been staying in for a while now. There were so many other rooms that I had never been in before, like the game room, the theater room, the library, Carlisle's office, and an art room! This house was bigger than I ever thought, and it much quieter than I thought it would've been without anyone. The adventurer that was hidden within me wanted to explore the bedrooms, but I chickened out when I thought I heard a noise in the house. After I got bored from exploring the house, I decided to find a movie to watch until the adults' would be back. I went with  _Mrs. Doubtfire_ , a classic comedy that I hadn't seen in a while. Cuddled up on the couch with the blue blanket I had used last time, I enjoyed the movie in peace. Esme and Carlisle coming back must not have woken me up because I woke up on the couch around midnight, and walked myself into the guest room, cuddling with Pebbles instead.

Sunday had Edward coming back earlier than Alice and Jasper, explaining that he got what his friend had left town already and decided to come home early. I found him at home after Carlisle and I returned home at around noon from visiting Grandma Eileen. He invited me to work on my homework with him in the library, and the two of us spent the afternoon with our noses in our books and classical music playing in the background. Carlisle called me down for dinner when it got very dark outside, and I answered him by having some home delivered sushi. The rest of the household returned before I went up to bed at night. Alice brought me back a gift: a kinit, mustard yellow scarf and matching mittens.

Today was Thursday, and the school week was going well for me. I chose to ignore all of my friends, waiting for them to give me an apology before I would confront them at all. The Cullen/Hale kids invited for me to join them at lunch during this time, but I still would make sure to visit Mr. Simmons in his room every day, and Edward would join me most of the time. Before leaving for school, Esme and Carlisle told me they were going to the flea market and wouldn't be back until late tonight. I jokingly asked them to find something for me. Currently, the two of us were sitting at the upright piano. I was working on a new piece that Edward had found for me to work on:  _La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin_. He wasn't mean while I worked on the song, Edward just gave helpful encouragement when I would become stick and want to give up. I was nice spending this time with him, bonding over different types of music to play on the piano and just having some different kind of company.

"Try and play this part more piano." Edward offered, bringing me out of my muse of just staring at the song on the stand. "Like this." His fingers graced across the keys, demonstrating what he was talking about.

I felt a smile on my face, watching him play. This was the happiest times I saw him in, when he was immersed within the music either listening or playing himself. After he was done, I tried it out for myself, and grinned when I got through the part, "That sounds  _so_  much better." I agreed, setting my hands into my lap as I looked over the next part. We went back and forth like that for the rest of the lunch period: Edward would demonstrate a difficult part and I would give it a try.

Around the end of the period, Mr. Simmons came out of his office and into his classroom. He had many colorful flyers in his arms, "Hello you two, how is the new piece coming?"

"Maggie is doing well, sir." Edward explained, causing me to blush.

I picked up the music off of the stand and began packing up, "What are the flyers for Mr. Simmons?" I asked.

A smile was on the older man's face, "Flyers for the Winter concert. I thought a Hollywood theme this year would draw in more people to audition, instead of just having the bands and choirs play." The Winter concert is the school's biggest production of the year. People who aren't in the band or choir are encouraged to perform something. Most years, Grandma Eileen and I would help Mr. Simmons with rehearsals or I would play in his place on the piano if needed, but this would be the first year I could actually do a performance.

Mr. Simmons handed the empty-handed Edward a flyer, smile on his face, "I would love to see you two find something to play for the concert." I noticed Edward's eyes widen at that, "I'd even let you both in without having to audition, hearing you both play enough in here, I think I know you'd be able to handle it." It looked like the Cullen boy was going to decline my old music teacher of his request.

I came up to Edward's side, looping my arm around his to grab onto him before he could say anything, "We'd love to Mr. Simmons. It'd be an honor to play. I'm sure we can find the perfect piece to perform."

A huge smile was on the music teacher's face, "That is splendid to hear, Miss Kringle! I cannot wait to hear what you two come up with!" Mr. Simmons left the room, ready to hand out all of those flyers once the bell rang.

"Hope we can find something good to play." I said, unwrapping my arm that was looped around his, "Nothing like Frosty, maybe something more complicated and less sing-a-long." Edward didn't answer, just walked out of the room, "Unless you want to do Frosty…" I said in a questioning tone. The taller boy didn't respond, just kept walking in the halls, "What's the matter Edward?" I asked.

His face had a huge scowl on it, I've never seen him so mad looking, "Why did you do that?" Edward growled out, not looking at me.

I had a confused look on my face, "What are you talking about?"

"Why did you say we would play for everyone?!" Edward exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks, "I did not sign up for playing in this  _senseless_  high school concert!" He yelled, catching himself when some people turned in our direction.

My eyes formed a glare, and I shot daggers into his own eyes, "This concert is  _not_  senseless, Edward." I spat, "This production means a lot to my grandmother and I. And we've been playing together for like three weeks. You know my skills and I know yours, we could do Mr. Simmons really proud." The hallway was becoming more and more crowded with people trying to get to their classes on time.

He rolled his eyes at me, "I don't care Maggie. Get us out of doing that performance.  _Immediately_." With that, he left me alone in the middle of the hallway with my thoughts.

Up until now, Edward was really nice to me. He seemed like he took interest in what I had to say and what I was doing in my classes. I would also sit to all of his own thoughts he shared, a lot of them really interesting to me. But now, he was really harsh and cold for no reason. I didn't think it was a big deal for us to play in the concert for Mr. Simmons, but it apparently was. And if he didn't want to play, that was fine, but he could've asked nicely and not insulted the whole production like it was worthless.

These thoughts ran through my head the rest of the day, causing me to become more angry and more sad through the day. By the time I wound up in Alice's yellow Porsche at the end of the day, I could barely put my thoughts in a good light if I tried. I did notice that Jasper was becoming more and more tense, rubbing his arms like he was cold and massaging his head like he was going through a migraine. When we got home, the curly haired Hale twin went down quickly into the basement. "Is Jasper alright?" I asked Alice, a bit of concern in my tone of voice.

She sighed, "He doesn't feel well Maggie." Alice explained, "I'm going to go make sure he's okay. Just hang out upstairs, don't worry too much about it." With that, she left me standing in the family room.

Edward's car wasn't in the driveway when we got back, and I was curious to where he would be at. Sort of as an answer, Emmett came jogging down the stairs with his jacket on, Rosalie trailing behind him. "What's wrong Emmett?" I asked, watching him put his gym shoes on at the door.

"Edward won't pick up his phone." He explained in a huff, "We came back and he just left." The muscular boy just shook his head in annoyance. "But I'm the only one who can get him back. I know where he drove off too, don't worry Mags." He finished putting on his shoes, grabbed his Jeep's keys, and ran out the front door with a slamming door behind him.

I didn't understand. Everything seemed to be going wrong with everyone this afternoon, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Edward was mad, Emmett was annoyed, Jasper was stressed, and Alice was worried. "Can't believe it." A voice said.

It was Rosalie, she came and stood at the window, watching the oldest Cullen boy pull out of the drive way. "You can't believe what?" I asked timidly, joining her to her right.

"That this is all crumbling apart so quickly." She answered, "I've never seen Emmett so upset over his brother leaving. Never seen Edward so livid or my twin so frazzled. Good thing he's got Alice, but she wasn't doing too good either. They didn't want to choose sides in this after Edward spoke with us." I stood there in a bit of a realization. She was obviously hinting to me, because of what I did with Edward. If I didn't say anything, then Edward would still be here and so would Emmett. And the other couple wouldn't feel how they're feeling either, "Life was so much simpler a few weeks ago. Everything was much more peaceful here. Much less drama." And just like that, Rosalie left me at the window.

Maybe she was right, maybe their life was much better before I came. I mean, I didn't have any proof to say if it was or wasn't, because I wasn't here. But I also didn't have anyone to ask if it was good either. So, my emotionally distraught-self did the only rational thing I could do. Quick as I could, I ran up the stairs and into the guest room. I threw all of the clothes into the duffle, stuffed Pebbles in at the top and found a piece of paper to leave an explanation for Carlisle. With a purple pen, I found an old homework assignment and began to write.

**To Whom it May Concern:**

**After thinking about it, and thoughts that were shared, I decided to leave. I'm sorry for the troubles I've put your family through and don't want to put you all through this any longer. I don't want to be a burden on any of you, so for all of your benefits, I would like to thank you for what you've all done for me and hope your all can recover from having me here.**

**Margaret Kringle**

After reading it once over, I placed it on the beautiful vanity and left the beautiful room behind me.

* * *

Once I left the beautiful Cullen house, I went to the one place I knew no one would look: Mr. Simmons house. I ended up there forty-five minutes after leaving, and knocked tiredly on his front door. Luckily, the elderly man was home and just finishing his dinner. He let me in quickly, and sent me into the kitchen without questions asked. Mr. Simmons was trying to get me to let him call Dr. Cullen or Esme or even the Romo's house number, but I begged him not to. Thankfully, he agreed.

This whole situation could've been prevented if I would've just declined Mr. Simmons request to play in the concert. But, I just couldn't, and it turned into this huge mess of an issue. Pulling me out of my thoughts was a faded green tea cup set in front of me and the music teacher sitting across from me. "I wish you would let me call someone Margaret." He said, wrapping his own hands around his cup.

I shook my head, "Today was all my fault, and I don't think any of them want me there anymore anyways." Reaching forward, my hands were shaking in anxiety as they went to the cup.

Never in my life had I legit run away from home. When I was five, I tried to run away, but I was too much of a rule follower to cross the street alone because Grandma Eileen said I wasn't allowed to. But I actually did it now. My bags were packed and I was a forty-five-minute walk away from where I was living.

Mr. Simmons seemed to disagree. "Why don't you tell me what happened, and we can see if you may just be wrapped up in your thoughts."

Taking a deep breath in order to calm down and organize my thoughts, I began, "The morning seemed to go normal. Alice and Jasper took me to school in Alice's car and all of us were listening to a new song that she found over the weekend. Classes were fine and I joined them all for lunch before Edward and I went into the music room like we usually do. We worked on a piece that he thought would be a good idea for me to work on to play for Esme at home. Then, you came in and offered a spot for us in the concert and I agreed. After you left, Edward got really made and even yelled at me before he went to his afternoon classes. On the drive home, Jasper seemed really scared and anxious. He and Alice went and hid away in the basement. Emmett was really mad too, leaving once we got back to find Edward because he left home and wasn't answering his phone. What made me realize that it was me was what Rosalie said. She said that this kind of stuff didn't happen until I showed up, and I knew that it was all my fault." I ended, sniffling as I tried to hold back tears.

He took my hands that I managed to wrap around the small cup, "Margaret, that is not true." Mr. Simmons said, "Everyone has bad days, and even the most perfect families have their flaws. Your piano friend may have stage fright, and was too embarrassed to admit it. The nervous boy and girl were in a sticky situation because they both care deeply about the both of you. The other boy was worried about his younger sibling and he would be too if you did the same things. As for the one who told you all of those lies, she just hasn't coped with you being a new addition." He said, letting go of my hands, "And I'm sure the good doctor and his wife enjoy having you stay with them."

The older man stood, making his way to his cow-shaped cookie jar, "I don't know Mr. Simmons." I took the offered snickerdoodle, placing it on the small plate in front of me, "I just feel sorry for them for having to go through this trouble that I've caused."

"There is no trouble you've caused Margaret." He insisted, "If anyone is to blame, it would be me. I was the one to offer the spot to the two of you in the first place. Please don't feel inclined perform." It became very quiet in the kitchen, Mr. Simmons and I just enjoyed the cookies from his cookie jar.

Around seven, the doorbell ringing brought us out of our comfortable silence. The both of us were going to answer it together, but Mr. Simmons decided to go alone. "Excuse me, is this the Simmons' residence?" a familiar sounding voice asked.

"Yes, I'm Robert Simmons, how can I help you?" The music teacher answered.

"We're looking for Margaret Kringle." Another familiar sounding voice said, "One of our sons said that you know each other, and she's gone missing. Is she here?"

They sounded really worried, and by that point I knew it was Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. Gaining some courage, I got up from the kitchen table and walked to the front door. Esme and Carlisle were both there, worried looks on their usually flawless faces. Before I could make my presence known, the caramel-haired woman saw me walk in, "Margaret!" she cried, letting go of her husband's arm and coming towards me.

I was engulfed into a warm embrace quickly, her arms wrapping me in close to her body. While Esme hugged me from the front, Carlisle joined us by hugging me from behind. "Thank goodness you're alright." She exclaimed, placing a kiss on the top of my head, not letting go.

I wrapped my arms around the both of them, moving so that I was just in the middle more comfortably. "How did you find me?" I whispered, still not over them finding me.

"After Esme and I returned from the flea market," Carlisle began, "We saw Alice and Jasper coming up from the basement. Before they could explain, Edward and Emmett returned and Edward explained everything that happened at school, with an apology ready for you. But, you were nowhere to be found. Jasper found the note you left and we decided to split up and look for you. Edward went back to the school, Alice and Jasper went to your friend's house, Emmett and Rosalie went to your house, and we came here. Thankfully, we found you."

The embrace seemed to tighten and the two of them were showering my head with kisses while we stood in the hug. "I'm really sorry." I sniffed, trying to keep tears at bay.

Before I could get rid of the rouge tears, Esme gently wiped them away for me. "We're just glad your safe Margaret. And I hope you never do this again."

"I won't." I sniffed, "It just caused even more trouble."

Carlisle shook his head, "You are family now Margaret. Family will do this for family."

* * *

I thanked Mr. Simmons with a hug goodbye, thanking him for everything. I got into the back seat of the car when the doctor loaded up my duffle and backpack. Esme would keep looking in the back seat at me, almost like if she didn't I would disappear. The adults stood on either side of me as we walked up the stairs to the house.

Before I could get past the doormat, Emmett was lifting me into a huge bear hug, "Mags! You're okay!" he cried, twirling me around.

I wrapped my arms around the muscular boy's next tightly. He set me down after a couple more gentle squeezes, then Alice attacked me from behind with her own hug, "We were so worried!" she explained.

"I'm sorry." I apologized once she let me ago, "I was so stupid, I just thought I ruined everything. Then Jasper and Alice went away because of me and…"

Jasper stepped forward, a serious look on his face, "It was not just you Margaret." He said, grabbing my hands, "I was just overwhelmed myself by the end of the day, and the situation I was in did not help. So, I apologize that you felt this way." The usually anxious twin squeezed my hands, as his own way of hugging me.

I gave him a small, reassuring smile, "It's okay Jasper. I promise I won't run away again."

He let go of my hands and stepped back to Alice, letting her wrap her arms around his waist. That's when Edward came up, head hanging in shame, "Maggie…" he began.

"No Edward." I interrupted, "I want to say that I'm sorry first. I shouldn't have assumed you'd want to do the concert with me. I'm sorry for pushing that on you."

Edward shook his head, "No, I overreacted. I didn't realize how important this was to you and your grandmother, only focusing on myself at that time." Then it was his turn to give me a hug. A genuine, warm hug. I wrapped my own arms around his waist, letting my head rest on his chest, "Will you forgive me?" I asked.

He nodded, "Of course I do." Edward said, "And, as a token of my apology, I would like to accept Mr. Simmons offer and play with you in the concert. That is, if you would still play with me."

"Of course, I would love to." I smiled, giving him another squeeze.


	6. Chapter 6

Jasper POV

* * *

The feeling of relief from everyone was very welcomed. I wasn't the only one who was glad that the human returned home safely. Alice was a mess, up until Carlisle sent everyone a text letting us know that she was at the music teacher's house. But now,  _mostly_  everyone's mood was much better.

"Let's get you ready for an early night." Esme told Margaret, bringing me out of my thoughts.

The girl gave her a small smile, letting my adopted mother take her hand and lead her upstairs. A powerful, protective energy was coming from Esme in large waves, saying for everyone to stay back and let her motherly instincts take care of the fragile girl. On the other hand, I could barely pick up Margaret's emotions, but they were feelings of comfort.

We all watched the two of them leave, taking the stairs slowly. Carlisle rubbed his hands together, calling our attention, "The rest of us need to have a family meeting. Esme will join us once Margaret is settled." With that, the patriarch of the coven made his way into the kitchen to sit at the table.

Alice and I took our usual spot on the right side towards the window; Edward joining us, taking his seat next to the head. Emmett and his wife sat across from us, Rosalie's head looking down at the table. The doctor took his seat at the head of the table, bringing an empty chair between Edward and himself for his wife when she was comfortable enough to leave the human alone.

"I would like to begin by thanking Edward and Jasper for apologizing to Margaret." Carlisle began, "It takes a big man to own up for their faults, and I know that she felt much better after the both of you apologized. So, thank you."

Alice leaned her head on my shoulder after placing a kiss on my cheek, embracing my arm. She had agreed with me that I should apologize after reading the note that Margaret found. "I could sense she was upset Carlisle, but there were so many negative emotions I was feeding off of at school today, on top of her and Edward, that I needed time to reset myself."

He nodded in understanding. "And I had no clue how upset she was." Edward confessed, "Once she and I left the music classroom today, I couldn't read her mind for the rest of the day. I thought I was getting better after spending more time with her, but it was like the connection was severed."

"Can you read her now?" Alice asked in curiosity.

Edward nodded, "Sort of. It is not as strong as I have gotten it, but I have gotten a few rouge thoughts since she has been home." He explained simply.

Carlisle nodded, "Let me know if it worsens, son. I'm sure it will only continue to improve." The doctor reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'm also very proud of you Alice, for taking action with Jasper and bringing him downstairs. We have no clue about Margaret's reactions being around during those moments."

I was always grateful for my lovely wife, but even more when she was there for me when I was struggling with my gifts. During our chemistry class, she was having a vision involving Margaret; she could see her standing at the window with tears in her eyes and then walking up to her room. At that point, we had known she was upset because of the concert incident, with Edward filling us all in over text message, but I knew that she was more worried about all of the negativity coming towards me from the family and other students in my classes. She was my hero during these times, and I could never thank her enough.

"I'm also proud of you, Emmett," The doctor continued, gesturing to the muscular vampire, "for taking it upon yourself to go and find Edward after he went off." We all saw a huge grin come onto his face, and it was nice to feel all of the good feelings coming from them.

That is, until Carlisle turned to Rosalie. "Rosalie, I hope you know I am very disappointed with your actions." He began, bringing down the mood quickly. Everyone in the house was highly upset with her at the moment, including her husband, "I have no idea  _what_  you were thinking, but that was  _not_  a conversation you should have had with that poor girl. While I would usually respect your thoughts and feelings and allow you to express them freely, that was uncalled for. Margaret staying here is  _my_  decision. This is not a coven decision, and if you feel so strongly about her being her, you are more than welcome to leave until she is gone. But, if you are living under the same roof as Margaret, you will treat her with respect." Rarely did Carlisle have to pull the 'leader of the coven' card, but it was understandable why. If the blonde woman had said nothing to Margaret, she wouldn't have run away in the first place. But, it can be hard to keep Rosalie quiet when she has strong opinions on something.

Rosalie just sat there, not making eye contact. On the surface, I could feel that she was feeling guilty and hurt for everyone going against her at the moment. Deep down, on the other hand, I knew she still didn't feel remorse for what she told her because that's what she faithfully believed. "And, at least for a few days, I would ask all of you to be a little more sensitive towards Margaret. She's had a lot happen today and I just want to reassure her that she is more than welcome to be here."

"Don't worry Carlisle." Alice chirped, "I had a small vision before you returned home, she'll be just fine. I promise." That seemed to comfort the good doctor, a smile coming to his face.

We all became quiet once we heard footsteps make their way down to the kitchen, unsure of who they belonged to. It was Esme, slight apprehension coming from her as she made her way to join her husband, "How's Maggie?" Emmett asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Esme gave him a motherly smiled, "Margaret is fine. I helped her unpack her things and she insisted on taking a shower before she went to bed." She accepted Carlisle's hand that he offered to her, and I noticed a slight squeeze, "And I want to thank you all for helping us find her tonight. She didn't think everyone would help, and that made her feel better about coming back."

Most of us were very worried when we couldn't find the human girl after finding the note, and when Rosalie told us about the conversation the two had, there was a great panic from the doctor, his wife and even Alice. Edward felt guilty as well, but began thinking of places that she would go while Emmett was dragging Rosalie into the Jeep so they could be ready to leave when they were told where to go.

A quick sigh from Esme brought my attention back to the heads of the house, "Moving forward, I would like all of us to be organize for the family pictures on Saturday. The photographer should arrive around eleven and I want everyone to be ready by then."

This was one of Alice's favorite times of year, mostly for the clothes. But also, because she knew how much it meant for Esme, so my wife took her job very seriously. Even going so far as to create a time table to make sure it went smoothly. The seven of us listened to Esme and Alice go back and forth about what needed to be taken care of after school tomorrow and on Saturday morning. It was a peaceful atmosphere in the house while all of us sat around the table, bringing back memories of some of the first meetings that we had as a family.

As the meeting seemed to be wrapping up, footsteps coming down were heard again. Margaret was the owner of these feet, and she was clad in her pajamas. They were simple: a three times too large hoodie and flannel pants. He hair was damp laying down her back and she looked exhausted. "Margaret, is something wrong?" Esme asked quickly, ready to stand up and help her if she needed it.

"No," She explained, "I'm just looking for something for dinner. I kind of skipped that one today…" Margaret meekly said.

Esme was on her feet quickly, "You just sit right here by Carlisle and Edward. I'll make you whatever you want dear." She said, pulling the chair out for the human girl. Mrs. Cullen went to the fridge while Dr. Cullen wrapped an arm around the tired girl while Edward seemed to relax knowing that she was well enough to want to eat something, "Do you have any requests?"

A small smile formed on Margaret's face, "I was just going to make a PB&J so I can go to bed soon." She yawned, covering her mouth politely.

"Say no more." The motherly instincts were kicking in again, "You just sit there and I'll make it for you."

Thankfulness was radiating off that human girl.

Maggie POV

* * *

After school on Friday, Edward and I went to sit and visit with Grandma Eileen. I thought he was just going to drop me off and let his dad take me back, but he insisted on coming with. I sat there with the two of them: Edward sitting next to me while I held Grandma's hand. Like usual, it was a one-sided conversation between my grandmother and I. Edward was very respectful while he sat with me, not saying anything but nodding when it was appropriate. It meant a lot to me that he stayed, and even more when he was paying attention to what I was staying and not just being there to be there.

"And the two of us are going to be playing together at the winter concert." I told her, getting a little excited, " _Christmas Time Is Here_  from Charlie Brown; it's a well-known song but people won't sing-a-long, right Edward?" I asked, taking my eyes off of her wrinkled face to his. He just nodded, a smile on his face, "I'm excited to be helping Mr. Simmons' out in a different way this time. I hope you're well enough to hear us play by then."

The conversation continued, jumping from classes to what I had for dinner to the weather outside. Finally, it was becoming time to leave. "Well Grandma, we have to get going, and I won't be back until Monday. But I'm sure I'll be back with lots of stories from the weekend." Gently, I brought her hand up to my mouth and gave her a kiss goodbye, making sure that silver locket was still around her neck.

Edward stood when I stood, offering a hand out for me to take. He seemed to be feeling more comfortable with affection, and friends held hands all the time. After putting my backpack on my shoulder, I took it and let him lead me out of the room and down the halls. "Your hands are freezing Edward!" I said in a teasing tone.

"Sorry." He mumbled, trying to pull away.

I shook my hand, not letting go, "No, I'm just teasing you. Besides," I pushed the button for the elevator, "Grandma Eileen always says cold hands means a warm heart." That made him smile and I noticed that he stood a little closer to me on our ride down.

We walked hand in hand to his car and we joked the whole way to the Cullen house. Once we got back, he opened my door for me and the two of us walked into the house. I was blown away at what I saw when we got in. Music was blasting through the speakers while Esme was running the vacuum and Alice was laying out a ton of clothes on the couch. "What is all this?" I asked.

"Family pictures are tomorrow." Edward explained, shaking his head, "Alice takes this time of year very seriously and Mom stress cleans."

I nodded slowly, setting down my backpack at the door and carefully walked into the family room. The short girl was standing up on a kitchen chair, most likely to get a better view of all the clothes that were laid out. "Maggie, come up here and look at this." She grinned, offering a helping hand for me. I took it and she pulled me up carefully, "Here's what I'm thinking for tomorrow: denim, yellow, and red is the theme."

She really did go for the theme. There were lots of these primary colors among the outfits, and the outfits were varied well too. "Are you sure you want my opinion? You know my level of fashion knowledge." Alice just nodded eagerly, "Well, I really like all of the outfits you laid out. Even if I'm not sure who is wearing what…"

She must have liked the most of that, "There's a couple things I'm not sure of still, but it's just minor details at this point." Alice jumped down gracefully from the chair and went to change some things around.

I was going to jump down but strong arms picked me up instead. "Trying to gain a couple inches?" Emmett teased, setting me down.

"No!" I laughed, punching him in the arm, "Alice wanted some help with clothes."

It was his turn to laugh, "Why are you having Maggie look it over? You know her level of fashion knowledge!"

I raised my arms in an affirming gesture, "That's what I said!" I cried, teasing of course.

"She trusts you." Jasper's voice said, causing me to turn around. He was carrying a large chair up from the basement, old accent with red leather. There were two of them by the head of the stairs. "Thanks for helping all the way, Emmett." He rolled his eyes, setting it down carefully.

Emmett when over to move the chairs from the doorway, "What are those for? Redecorating too?" I asked. Edward came back from upstairs, dressed in more casual looking clothes. He smiled when I must have looked a little lost.

"Nope." Alice answered, stepping back from the clothes to take a look at what she's done, "It's kind of a tradition now. Emmett bought them as a stupid joke, and now it's used in every family picture. The outside pictures and the inside pictures have this as a center piece with these eyesores." She explained.

I must have looked lost because Emmett stepped up to explain, "Mom and Dad are the head of the house, and they're like king and queen. And these are royal chairs, so I thought it was fitting…" Jasper and Alice were laughing and the end of the justification.

The vacuum shut off at the end of the story and Esme wheeled it to where all of us were standing. "He was lucky they matched the décor downstairs." She joked, elbowing him in a teasing way.

Everyone laughed at that, making the warm seem really homey. I never realized how much this family enjoyed each other and their company with one another. It was nice to see everyone comfortable enough to make jokes with each other, but not push too far. Speaking of too far, "Where's Rosalie?" I asked.

It became quiet very fast after I asked that. I didn't mean to make it weird, but I apparently did, "She's out." Emmett answered firmly, "I think she wanted another option for tomorrow."

I nodded, "That makes sense." I said, shrugging, "But she'll probably look amazing no matter what. She's good at that." Again, everyone laughed at me. Not teasing, but genuine.

"Speaking of finding…" Esme said, turning to face her children, "Do all of you know where your crests are?" She asked, reaching up to finger the pendant around her neck.

I had noticed them before, but never observed them, "I didn't know you guys had a crest…" I half lied. I only saw Esme wear hers around her neck every day, but not anyone else.

Edward nodded, "Dad got everyone one once they became part of the family." He explained, pulling something out of his pocket. In his hand was a small pocket watch and on the front was the crest engraved. A lion, hand, and trefoil are features. "Everything has a meaning behind it, but I can let Dad explain it to you." I nodded, just admiring the crest and wondering what the meaning behind it could be.

* * *

Picture day was an early morning. Alice insisted on curling my hair again, and I agreed. It was a good idea when she did it the first time, so I didn't see the harm in doing so. They were a little tighter than last time which I was worried would have me looking like Shirly Temple, but Alice explained that they would be lose by the time it was time for pictures. After my hair was finished, I went into the kitchen to have something quick to eat.

Esme had the boys running around doing last minute cleaning or organizing, and she looked a little stressed standing by the window. Cereal bowl in hand, I joined her. Jasper and Edward were bringing chairs down from the porch, setting them by an area around surrounded by some pine trees. The ground was free of debris that would usually be there and it was looking like something found in a magazine. "Is there anything I can do to be helpful, Esme?" I asked, taking a bite of my cereal.

"Oh no Margaret." She smiled, giving me a side hug as comfort in her answer, "The boys have the heavy lifting taken care of. You just worry about finishing your breakfast and getting dressed." Esme watched me, almost like she was making sure I would finish my food.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, feeling some milk on my cheek, "If you're sure…" I said, placing the empty bowl in the sink and began to wash it clean, "But if I can help, I'd me more than happy to."

Her smile seemed to grow, "That's very sweet of you dear. I'll be sure to call you if I end up needing your help." Esme gave me another, more proper hug, once I finished loading the small bowl into the dishwasher. She turned me to head up to the guest room to finish getting ready.

With that hint, I took the stairs two at a time to get upstairs quickly. I figured, the faster I was dressed, the more available I would be to help. When I opened the door, I let out a little cry in startle because Jasper was sitting on my bed, "Oh my God Jasper!" I said, clutching my chest, "You scared me!"

He looked sorry, but also was trying to keep back a laugh, "I'm sorry Margaret, but Alice asked me to wait here until she came back. She went to go find her makeup bag and grab your clothes." Jasper explained.

I couldn't help but shake my head, "Why does she insist on doing all of this for me? Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate it, but she must have more important things to do than to help me." I took a seat next to him on my bed, almost flopping down but remembering that my hair was curled and I didn't want to ruin it.

"That's just Alice." He smiled genuinely, "She knows that she likes and if there is someone willing to help her, then Alice will take advantage of that." Jasper laughed.

It was nice to spend time with him, even if we were just waiting for Alice to come back. He was really nice and sweet, even if it seemed like he could be distant sometimes. We were talking about the current book we were reading when Alice came back, arms full of different brushes and makeup bags. It looked like my outfit was even draped across her shoulder because she didn't have any hands to hold it with. "Ready to complete your look?!" she chirped, a huge grin on her face.

Jasper got up quickly to help her, taking a handful of the supplies and bringing it to the vanity for her. "You're not going to go crazy, are you?" I asked worriedly.

She shook her head, "Any makeup on you would be crazy because you never wear any to begin with!" Alice laughed, setting the rest of her stuff down on the vanity. "But I promise I won't go crazy. Esme wants everything simple and Carlisle isn't a big fan of you having any makeup on either."

With that as a good enough justification for her, she got to work. And she was right, she didn't really do too much on my face. Light foundation, filled in eyebrows, no eyeshadow, a cat eyeliner, regular mascara, some blush, and some light lip gloss. Jasper had to keep remind her a couple times to keep it subtle, and she would step back and look at what she did on my face, then do something to tone it back a little. But I did really like what she did, and thanked her once she was done. The two, after packing up the makeup, let me to get dressed.

The clothes Alice picked out for me consisted of a long sleeve yellow dress, denim leggings, and brown booties. It was simple, and I think she was trying to get me to stand out, but I put it on without complaining. With one more look at myself in the mirror, I left the guest room and headed to the stairs. It appeared that most of the household was already downstairs and dressed from where I stood at the top of the stairs.

Rosalie was wearing a red knee length dress with a denim scarf and brown knee length boots. Emmett had on khaki pants, light brown dress shoes, red and blue boxes dress shirt. Jasper was wearing khaki pants with navy shoes, red suspenders on a denim shirt and a red bowtie to pull it together. Alice had on yellow pants, deep red booties, a white top with a blue blazer on top and a deep red scarf on top of that. Esme was wearing a jean dress, brown riding boots, and a yellow scarf. Carlisle had on khaki pants, a blue dress shirt that was under red sweater, and brown dress shoes. The adults were talking with a man I assumed was the photographer by the door.

"You look very nice." A voice said from behind me, making me turn around in surprise.

It was Edward and I thought he looked really nice in his outfit: khaki pants, a blue dress shirt under a yellow sweater with a navy and yellow bowtie and light brown dress shoes. "You look really nice too. I wouldn't look like this without Alice though." I explained, feeling the blush form on my face after complementing the Junior boy.

He laughed, "I wouldn't either." Edward confessed, holding out his arm for me to take. I did after a moment and the two of us walked down to meet with the others.

"Nice of you to join us." The doctor said when we got downstairs. Everyone seemed to be looking at the two of us weird which made me let go of Edward.

Esme gave us a smile, "You both look very nice! Now, let's head outside to take those pictures while we've still got good lighting." She took her husband's arm and let the photographer lead us outside.

I hung back, leaving with last with my piano partner. We all took the short walk over to where the photographer had set up where he was taking our pictures, Edward not grabbing my hand but walking close. It was a cloudy day outside, but I assumed that it was perfect lighting for outside pictures because everyone else seemed satisfied with the lighting. After messing with something on the camera's settings, the older man turned to all of us waiting, "Alright folks, we'll do mom and dad first and then the rest of your couples afterwards. So, mom and dad have a seat on these…thrones…"

That had the rest of the family laughing, even Carlisle and Esme who walked over to the chairs. The minute the two sat down, it seemed like they knew just what they were supposed to be doing, while also looking so in love. "They really do love each other." I whispered to no one in particular, but Edward must have heard me.

"For as long as I've known them," He began, "they've always been like this." Edward explained. He nodded his head in their direction, referencing the loving look in their eyes towards each other.

The way Carlisle held Esme's hands, the way she smiled at him, it was something I never really noticed before. But they apparently did it all the time. "I guess parents should be in love though, right?" I shrugged, "Unless they're divorced, of course. Then they wouldn't be."

He laughed as we watched the adults of the house get up from their seats and have Rosalie and Emmett take their place. The muscular Cullen moved the chairs out of the way and I assumed that Rosalie had a vision of what she wanted in her head for what she was looking for in a perfect picture. The photographer still didn't really have to give direction to them, but there was a huge difference between the two couple's pictures. Mainly in the touching area. While the doctor and his wife were very modest and only held hands, Emmett wasn't afraid to wrap his arms around the beautiful blonde and exchange kisses with her. "They're more hands on, in case you couldn't tell." Edward whispered, causing me to giggle quietly.

"But just look at how he looks at her!" I whispered back, "Like Rosalie is his whole world, and it's just the two of them." It was like something from a romance movie.

The brunette just shrugged, "Again, they've been like that forever too." He explained. After a few more twirls from Emmett and a couple of giggles from Rosalie, the two wrapped up their pictures.

Then it was Jasper and Alice's turn. Almost like it was planned, the two began to dance to a song that they must have danced to a thousand times before. That was the extent of affection I saw from the two, but they just couldn't take their eyes off of each other, even when the photographer began whistling to them to get their attention. "I didn't know they could dance." I whispered, nudging Edward in the side to get him to notice I was talking to him.

"They both dance really well." He said, "Alone and together."

I could not believe that Edward knew all of this about these people, but I guess they were technically his siblings (blood relation or not). "How do you know so much about these guys?" I asked.

He smiled, "It's just always been like this. Everyone spends their time with their partners and I'm just the seventh wheel." Edward shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets, "But it's alright, I think I've become more observant for sure."

"Well," I said, slowly edging closer to him, "we can be wheels together. Maybe it'll help me hone in my detective skills better."

The both of us laughed at that stupid joke. "Alright you two." Esme said, causing us to face her. Alice and Jasper had finished their pictures and the photographer was waiting, "You're up."

I raised my eyebrow in confusion, "Who's first?" I asked.

"Both of you!" Dr. Cullen smiled, wrapping his arm around his wife, "It'll be nice to have you both take some outside instead of just having the ones of yourselves inside."

The look of embarrassment and confusion on my face must have made Emmett burst out laugh, "But…we're not together like you guys are…" I explained. At least, I didn't think we were. I never had a partner before, so I wasn't sure if I missed something that everyone else knew and we were really together. I could feel my heart pound in my chest as I was starting to over think things I knew I shouldn't be over thinking.

Edward grabbed my hand, pulling me from my worried thoughts, "Dad just means that we don't have to do them alone. It doesn't mean anything romantic." He explained, leading me towards the place where we were going to take our pictures. I had no ideas what to do once we got to this point. If we weren't being romantic, then what were we supposed to do? The only pictures I know to take are school ones, and you just sit there for a minute for those.

"What are we supposed to do?" I worriedly asked kind of loud, looking up into his eyes.

Edward just laughed and shrugged, "I have no clue. I'm usually solo for these." He explained.

We turned towards the people who suggested that we do it in the first place. Alice came to stand by the photographer, an analyzing expression on her face. "Why don't you two stand back to back and cross your arms. That could turn out nice." She suggested, waiting for us to move. We let go of hands and turned back to back.

That's when I noticed how much taller Edward was than me. While I wasn't as short as Alice or Esme, I for sure wasn't super tall either. "Dang, you're tall." I said, laughing after. It was like a chain reaction and he started laughing too. Some flashes were seen in my peripheral vision and I knew some pictures were being taken.

"Aw that's adorable!" Emmett called in a teasing voice.

I saw Esme hit him in the arm to tell him to knock it off, "How about you get on his back Maggie?" Alice said after a couple of pictures were taken, "That's causal, right?"

I turned around to face his back, "I might be too heavy." I said to him, biting my bottom lip.

He crouched down, turning to face me, "Are you saying I won't be strong enough?" Edward teased. I jumped on carefully, letting him adjust me on his back so we were both comfortable, "You were saying?"

I just rolled my eyes, "Never mind." I answered, giving him a smile.

While this happened, the camera was flashing. "Why don't you look at the camera and give us a smile you two?" the photographer offered. We both complied and gave some normal smiles to the camera while in this pose.

That was the last pose because once I hoped off his back, I went back to the camera man and watched the others gather to take their family picture. Carlisle and Emmett both moved the chairs back to where they were before and the adults took a seat. The twins stood behind Esme and the others stood behind Dr. Cullen. They were all smiling like they had done this a thousand times before and the photographer was going wild with the number of pictures he was taking.

They looked like a real family, one you could find in those magazines that are in the dentist waiting room or on a television show. A loving, kind family with no flaws and stuck with each other through thick and thin. It made me realize that I probably would never have this opportunity again in my life because it was just Grandma Eileen and I. I wouldn't ever have siblings to look up at or older adults to turn to for problems or love.

"Come and join us Margaret." Carlisle said, drawing me out of my thoughts. I bit my lip nervously, not evening knowing where I was supposed to stand, "You come sit right here." He waved me over, patting on his left knee.

I walked over slowly, trying to calm myself, "You really don't need to include me. You've already have some pictures with me in them."

Esme shook her head, "We want you in his dear, I promise." She answered, a genuine smile on her face.

With that, I took a seat on the doctor's knee and let him adjust me so we were both comfortable. The photographer counted to three and the family photos with me in them began.


	7. Chapter 7

Maggie POV

* * *

Today was the day of my history presentation and I was glad it was over. Last night, I gave the presentation to Edward, Jasper and Alice. Dr. Cullen and Esme were out on a date night and Emmett and Rosalie were in the garage working on his Jeep. The blonde boy seemed very impressed with what I had prepared and gave me a couple tips on questions that my teacher could ask.

Being nervous, I decided to just get it over with and volunteer to go first. It was five minutes long, I had a couple of pictures to show, and Mr. Prince asked me a few questions to quiz me. But I was lucky because my teacher had asked questions that Jasper  _had_  talked about! The rest of the class was fine, listening to most of my classmates give their reports about Abraham Lincoln or Marry Todd Lincoln. The assignment was to try and pick someone unknown, not the president and first lady!

The bell rang, signaling the school day ending. I grabbed my backpack and made my way out of the class. And, becoming somewhat of a new ritual, Edward was waiting for me outside of the door. A large smile was on my face when I saw him standing there, "How did the presentation go?" He asked, offering his arm for me to take.

I did take it and the two of us made our way out of the school, "I think it went great! Mr. Prince seemed impressed at my answers to the questions he asked. I need to thank Jasper when we get back." I said, following him out of the building.

Edward smiled, opening the passenger door for me once we got there, "That was some good luck, that's for sure." He said, closing the door once I got settled.

"I'm just glad it's over!" I sighed, relaxing into the leather seat, "Now I can relax!" He laughed, pulling out of the parking lot and down the street.

The ride was quiet and comfortable. Neither of us need to talk all the time, which was really nice. It gave me time to think about what was going on between Edward and I. At first, I just thought we were becoming really close friends: both bonding over music, him playing piano with me every day at lunch, sitting with my Grandma Eileen and I almost every afternoon. But then, he started sitting really close to me at the hospital or would make sure there was an empty seat next to him when it was move night. His hand would find itself holding mine or his arm wrapped around my shoulder. It wasn't something bad, I actually enjoy it. But, I just wasn't too sure what he was looking for. I never had a real boyfriend before, and wasn't outwardly looking for one either, so I was just overall confused.

We pulled up to the Cullen residence and before I could open my door, Edward was there opening it for me. I shook my head, laughing at him, but taking hand. "Such a gentlemen, Edward  _middle-name_  Cullen." I teased, walking us towards the house.

"Anthony." He said, causing me to lift an eyebrow in confusion, "Edward  _Anthony_  Cullen, and before I was a Cullen it was Edward Anthony Masen. I was named after my father, Anthony Robert Masen." We stood in front of the front door, not opening it just yet.

We hadn't really shared too much sensitive information with each other, but this was something. "Well, Edward Anthony Cullen, you have been a real gentleman lately."

He laughed, giving my hand a squeeze before reaching to take the other, "Would you like me to stop?" Edward asked, swinging our arms a little bit.

I shook my head quickly, "No, that's not what I meant. I was just…making an observation." A blush formed on my cheeks and I looked to our hands. I heard him chuckle, and that didn't help the blushing issue.

"Why don't we go inside?" He suggested, letting go of one hand to open the front door. When the heavy door opened, I saw that all of the Cullen family was sitting in the family room, occupying the various pieces of furniture.

Alice was looking over at the two of us, a smirk on her face, "Well would you look at that?" She giggled, looking down at our hands, "Isn't that sweet?" Edward just shook his head, letting go so he could take off his jacket. He grabbed mine once I took it off, but I couldn't make eye contact with him, too embarrassed.

I walked into the family room, taking a seat on the empty love seat. Carlisle was occupying the recliner, Jasper and Emmett were on the floor using pillows as their seats, and the girls were all on the couch. "Eddie and Maggie sittin' in a tree." Emmett sang, "k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" That had Jasper and Alice laughing along with him.

"Sure, you guys caught us." The musically inclined Cullen said, taking a seat next to me, "But for your information, I don't kiss and tell."

That got my face burning with a blush and I brought my knees up to my chest to hide from the laughs. "Alright, you all had your laughs. Let's leave them alone." Dr. Cullen said, making me feel relief in my chest, "How did your presentation go today, Margaret?" He asked, switching topics.

I smiled, "Really well! He ended up asking questions that Jasper helped me out with last night. If he didn't do that, I'd be doomed!" I explained, "Without your help Jasper, I wouldn't have felt so confident going in. So, thanks."

"You're most welcome ma'am." He grinned, slight southern drawl coming out, "I had faith you would do just fine." Jasper winked.

Edward went and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I slowly inched closer to him. "So, what are you guys up to tonight?" I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder.

Esme smiled, "Well, we were just talking about the holidays coming up." The doctor's wife explained, "Including my anniversary with Carlisle." She added, causing the doctor to smile really big.

"When did you guys get married?" I asked, totally a sucker for the romantic crap. It was hard to explain, not really having too many married couples to look up to in real life about romance, but I was always a sucker for those kinds of movies.

She smiled really big and genuine, "Christmas Eve." Esme's smile grew three times larger thinking about that special day, "It was a beautiful, small wedding. Just the two of us, the witness, and the blizzard that happened that day."

The older woman seemed to be having some more flashbacks, all of them enjoyable, "I bet it was a beautiful wedding Esme." I said, giving her a small smile, "I bet you looked amazing in a winter wedding." I explained.

"Would you like to see?" She asked, already getting up from the couch in the hopes that I would agree.

I could do nothing but nod, watching in amusement as she got up quickly and made her way to the bookshelf to find the pictures she was looking for. "Now you've done it." Emmett joked, "All of these girls love talking about  _any_  kind of wedding."

Before he could make another remark, Esme took a seat on the other side of me on the couch and opened the book, taking out the picture that she wanted me to see. Carlisle and Esme both looked amazing: the doctor was in a crisp black tuxedo with a black tie and a red rose for a boutonniere while his wife had a simple white dress with capped sleeves and a long veil and a bouquet of roses in her free hand. They were both smiling large and looked like they could never be happier.

"Beautiful." Was all I could say, holding the picture carefully in my hands, "You look so in love with one another." I whispered.

Esme chucked, "I'd like to say we always look 'so in love'." She teased, "But thank you Margaret."

"My parents had a winter wedding too." I said, placing my hands into my lap after I handed the picture back. I watched her place the picture back where it belongs.

Esme gave a curious smile, "Did they?" She asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, it was on New Year's Eve." I explained, "I've got some pictures if you want to see…" I offered.

Alice and Esme both said 'yes!' and 'hurry!' before I could finish my offer. I got up from my spot quickly and ran up the stairs to the guest room. Underneath the bed, in a small shoe box, was all of the old pictures I had of mom and dad. Carefully, I grabbed the box and held it tight against my chest for protection. Slowly, I descended down the stairs and back into the family room. The girls that seemed the most excited were both sitting on the couch together with eager looks on their faces.

"Just…promise you'll be careful." I said, kneeling in front of the coffee table. Esme and Alice both got down to kneel across from me, nodding their heads, "I've never shown anyone these things before, so I'm kinda nervous."

Edward joined me, "Don't be nervous Maggie. It's just pictures." He said, giving a comforting smile.

With a deep sigh to try and relax, I placed the box on the table and slid it to the opposite side. I watched as Esme carefully took the lid off of the box and took out the first picture, "Oh my, is this their wedding?" She asked.

I nodded, looking at the familiar picture. Dad was dressed in his captain's uniform, crisp and clean from his hat to his shiny shoes. Mom was in a lace gown with sleeves, and a veil that mirrored Esme's from her picture. "They had gardenias for their flowers." I said, "Grandma Eileen plants them in the flower box every spring on my dad's birthday."

"Your father was in the Navy?" Jasper asked, looking over Alice's shoulder to see what picture his partner was looking at. It was the one of him that the Navy took the day he was promoted to Captain. Carlisle joined us at the table, sitting next to his wife.

Again, I nodded, "Captain Christopher Robert Kringle." I said, "Grandma Eileen says that he loved that job."

Alice smiled, "He looks very handsome. You have his hair." She said.

"And his smile." Esme added, handing her the picture she was holding. It was him in high school. "But you have your mother's eyes." She said, showing me what she was looking at.

It was my mother's debutante picture, and she was grinning ear to ear, "Rosanna Lynn Norman: second grade teacher and debutante."

Emmett's eyes widened, "They still do that?!" He asked.

I laughed, shaking my head, "No, not in the way that they used to. It's just a fancy ball thing now, and she  _hated_  it. Well, that's what Grandma told me." I explained, watching Emmett and Rosalie come closer to look at the pictures themselves.

"Aw, look at this one!" Alice cooed, holding up a picture. It was my first birthday picture. I was in a frilly pink dress with tiny Mary-Janes on my feet and a tiny pink bow holding my hair up on the top of my head, "You're so chubby!" Everyone laughed, passing the picture around so everyone could point out something to tease me with.

Then, Rosalie pulled out a worn-looking polaroid picture and tossed it over to Alice once she decided she was through looking at it. My eyes widened at them passing it around, "Please be careful!" I cried, slapping my hands over my mouth once they all looked at me funny, "Sorry, it's just that…that's the only picture I have with my parents." I told them, looking down at the table.

Slowly, Alice placed the photo down on the table and everyone peered over shoulders to take a look. It was the day after I was born. Mom held me in her arms, a loving smile on her face while Dad held her, a proud smile on his face. We were in Grandma Eileen's house, sitting on the couch. "Is this really the only one you have?" Edward said quietly.

I nodded, "Yeah, there were not many chances after I was born for family pictures. So, that's all I've got." I said, blinking quickly to keep tears away.

It got quiet after that, everyone sensing to drop the topic and move on from it. They did go through some more of my baby pictures that were in there, teasing when they would find something embarrassing or coo when they thought it was adorable. Soon, I was getting tired and wanted to get into bed. I collected my pictures and bid everyone a good night, smiling to them before climbing the stairs. After placing my box in its spot under the bed and putting on my pajamas, I went into the bathroom to do the rest of my nightly routine.

Once I returned to the guest room, I was startled a little by Edward sitting on the bed. He was holding Pebbles in his hands, a small smile on his face, "Who's your friend?" he asked, holding out the penguin to me.

"That's Pebbles." I said, taking the toy into my arms lovingly, "Mom and Dad got him for me." I explained, taking a seat next to him on my bed. It was quiet once more, and I could see some thoughts going through Edward's head, "Go on and ask, Edward." I said, looking into his eyes, "If I don't want to tell you, I won't." I affirmed.

He sighed, shifting on the bed so he was facing me better, "What happened to them?" He asked quietly, "What happened to your parents?"

Closing my eyes, I decided to open up to him. If he didn't want to know, he wouldn't have come up into the room alone to ask. So, I shifted on the bed so I was sitting crisscross with Pebbles in my lap, and I began, "Mom was diagnosed with cancer during her second trimester. She couldn't go through chemo while she was pregnant, so she just became more and more sick. When I was born, there were only a few days at home before she had to go in for treatments and procedures. Grandma Eileen says that they would both go together, leaving me with her at home. At night, I slept between the two of them. It was the only time I spent any time with them." I paused, taking a long and deep breath before going on, "One day, they didn't come back. Mom had surgery that day, and didn't make it back. Grandma says that my Dad's heart couldn't take that news, and he had a heart attack in the parking lot. I wasn't even six months old yet, and both of them were gone."

The room was quiet then, and I felt the tears pouring down my face. I could feel Edward wrapping me into an embrace tightly, and I just turned into his shoulder and sobbed. I had come to peace with them being gone when I was much younger, but it was the first time I had shared any of these precious pictures and memories with anyone. It was just a lot all at once. "It's alright Maggie." he murmured, squeezing me tighter, "It's alright, just let it all out."

And I did. I couldn't remember the last time I cried that hard, but it felt good to just cry. After a few minutes, but what felt like hours, I stopped and unburied my head from his shoulder. "I'm sorry." I apologized, "I didn't mean to cry this hard." I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

"Don't apologize Maggie." Edward said, "These are your parents, of course you're going to miss them." He said, a somber look on her face. "Your parents seemed like they were wonderful people. You're very lucky to have them, even if you only hear stories of them."

I leaned onto his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist in comfort. "The memories aren't all bad." I said, looking up at him, "Grandma Eileen shared some funny ones with me."

"I'd love to hear them." The musician said, "That is, if you would like to share." I nodded, and sat up, truly grateful for whatever relationship Edward and I had.

* * *

Thanksgiving with Grandma Eileen was usually nothing crazy. The Romo family would invite us over for dinner, we would go to the retirement home for desert with Grandma's friends, and be back home by seven to set up our tiny Christmas tree. I was kind of hoping for something a little different with the Cullen's, but it turned out they all did something different for the holiday. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen both left on Monday to visit some of their family in Alaska, explaining that they would be back late Thursday night. Emmett and his partner were also absent for most of the week up at the Cullen's lake house. But, the big brother figure I looked up to messaged me this morning saying that they would pick me up on their way back tonight.

That just left Jasper, Alice, Edward, and I at the beautiful Cullen home for the week. We occupied our time well; Alice and I went shopping on Monday, Jasper and I stayed in the library for four hours on Tuesday, and Edward and I practiced our concert piece on Wednesday.

This morning, Jasper dropped me off at the hospital once visiting hours opened so I could spend the day with Grandma Eileen. Carlisle must have warned his staff of my plans because they sent up the hospital's Thanksgiving meal around three o'clock. I didn't eat too much of it, not feeling the best on this holiday, but I just told myself it was because it wasn't like my normal Thanksgivings so I was too sad to eat. I spent my time reading to her, brushing her hair, and making sure that she was tucked in nice and comfortable.

Sooner than I wanted, it was six and time to leave. With a kiss on her forehead, I left her room and went to the parking lot to find Emmett's huge Jeep. Low and behold, he was waiting in the circle drive, standing outside with his arms crossed and looking tough. Rosalie was sitting in the passenger seat, nose buried in her phone. But Emmett's image diminished once he saw me. His arms were opened wide and his face was grinning, "Mags! There you are!" he cried, waiting for me.

I ran up to him with a smile on my own face, but didn't go too fast because I felt a cramp coming on. "Emmett! I missed you! How was the lake house?" I asked as he twirled me around once.

He opened the back door with one hand, and set me down inside, "Trip was great Mags, we'll have to take you next time!" Emmett said, closing the door and going to the driver's side.

"How did you enjoy the trip, Rosalie?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

I could hear her take a long sigh, "It was fine, thank you for asking." She said in an uninterested voice. At that point, I was just proud of myself for trying to talk to her.

But, I didn't have to worry about a quiet car ride because Emmett decided to give a play by play of his weekend with his girlfriend, almost sharing some TMI details but always catching himself before he would share. As I rode in the back, I began to feel more and more unwell. But I just tried to shake it off, taking things a little more slowly when I got back to the house.

Rosalie and Emmett took their luggage upstairs when we got back, but I didn't even have it in me to walk upstairs and look for anyone. Luckily, once I flopped down on the couch, someone familiar came to join me. "Rough day?" Edward questioned, a slight joking tone in his voice.

I raised my legs up so he could sit underneath and I could rest them back on top. After that was done, I answered him. "No, just starting to feel a little under the weather, I think." I explained.

"Then you two better not be sharing spit!" A voice teased, causing me to sit up quickly. It was the muscular Cullen coming down the stairs with Rosalie following closely behind him, "We wouldn't want  _both_  of you love bugs sick."

I was too sick to even feel embarrassed, just rolling onto my side and tucking myself into a ball. "You don't look too good Maggie." Edward said, coming down onto the floor to kneel in front of me. He placed his hand on my forehead, "You do feel a little warm." He said.

My body might have been warm, but I was freezing! "That's dumb, because I feel so cold." I confessed, looking at his worried expression, "Can I get a blanket?" I asked.

He nodded, getting up from the ground to find the blue blanket that I've been using downstairs. Edward came back and I found him covering me up without having to ask. "Do you want anything else?" He asked, some concern in his voice.

"Will you stay?" I whispered, "I just don't want to be alone."

Edward got back onto the couch without hesitation, shifting me so that I was laying my head in his lap. It was comforting, especially to just have someone with me while I felt sick. After a little while, he went and turned on the TV to a channel we both would like. I also saw him text his dad, just letting him know that I wasn't feeling well.

I was drifting on and off asleep, but I was shaken gently awake around seven. "How about some dinner Maggie?" Alice said, her and Jasper standing behind the couch, "Broth soup and bread? I know it's not the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but it might be light enough for you stomach."

I tried sitting up on the couch, Edward helped me make it up all the way, "I'll give it a try. Maybe some water too." I said, trying to smile.

"We'll get right on it, ma'am." Jasper said, leaving the family room with his girlfriend to grab my dinner.

Edward wrapped his arm around me, half for affection and half to help keep me sitting up straight. "Feeling any better?" He asked.

I shook my head, "I feel like I'm getting  _so_  much colder, but I'm dripping sweat." I admitted.

He frowned, "Maybe another blanket." Edward suggested, getting up from his spot, "And I'll grab the thermometer when I come back." He got up, wrapping the blanket tighter around my shoulders.

I sat there alone for a moment, staring blankly at the television. My shivers were getting worse, I felt more nauseous, and the pain in my abdomen was more than just a cramp at this point. Jasper came back and I was feeling a little less worried about what I was going on for whatever reason. I smiled when I saw the tray of food he was holding. "Here you are ma'am." He set it down on the coffee table, "Anything else you need?" Jasper asked.

"No Jasper." I smiled, reaching for the warm bowl of soup, "Thank you for dinner." I thanked.

He flashed a smile, "Just let me know Margaret." With that, he left the room.

After a few sips, my stomach started to feel worse and I couldn't really stomach too much of it. After I set my spoon into the bowl, I leaned back on the couch and watched Edward come back in with some more blankets and a thermometer. He set them down on the couch's arm and took his seat back, "Did you eat anything?" Edward asked, offering me the oral thermometer. I took is after nodding my head. The both of us waited for it to beep, and once it did, he took it out. I leaned on his shoulder when he read the digital number, "Well, it's a fever."

"How high?" I muttered, nuzzling into his shoulder.

He shook his head, "Don't worry about it." Edward gave me a squeeze for comfort, "If you can stand, why don't you go take a shower to try and cool off?" He suggested.

After nuzzling into his side once more, I stood slowly from the couch and let him lead me to the shower upstairs. Edward followed me while I picked out my clean pajamas and made sure I got into the bathroom without any problems. I stood under the water for what felt like hours, but it was only a couple of minutes. Using the sweet body wash in the shower and scrubbing with the loofa, I turned the warm water off and slowly put on my flannel pajamas. Edward was in my room, waiting for me with the bed having the covers pulled back for me to climb in.

I did, taking Pebbles from him and cuddling underneath, "Thanks for taking care of me Edward, you really don't have to." I said.

"I just want to make sure you're well." He said, "Anything else you need?" He asked. I responded by shaking my head. "Alright. Well, if you do, I'm on the other side of the hallway and Mom and Dad will be back soon." He explained, turning the light out and walking towards the door.

I watched him go, my eyes growing heavy as I fell asleep. But, I knew I wasn't out for more than an hour when I ran to the bathroom to throw up. I felt light headed the whole time and the pain in the abdomen was making me cry. The door opening quickly was when I looked up from the porcelain bowl, "You don't wanna come in here." I tried to joke, but ended up throwing up again, more tears pouring down my face at the pain and embarrassment.

"Jasper, call the emergency room and let them know we're coming." Edward's voice said quickly, "Alice, call Carlisle and Esme. Tell them to go straight to the emergency room." My eyes were squinting as I looked at Edward's panicked expression, "Are you going to be sick again?" He asked gently. Once I shook my head 'no', he lifted me into his arms slowly, and brought me downstairs.

Emmett was standing there, Pebbles in his arms, "The Volvo is started up Ed." He said, walking with us to the door. Rosalie was there, and laid the blue blanket around my body. Emmett placed my stuffed friend on top, making sure that he wouldn't fall off, and tucking the cozy blanket around me the best he could. "Hang in there, Mags." He said, "You'll be ok." I couldn't respond, just closing my eyes as Edward quickly carried me to the car.

He laid me down in the back row and jumped in the driver's seat fast. I felt the car driving way over the speed limit, but I didn't care. I was just more nervous that something was really wrong with me, and that I wasn't going to get better. When we got to the hospital, Edward stopped the car in the circle drive and carefully took me out of the back. He carried me to the entrance of the ER, where Carlisle and Esme stood waiting.

The good doctor took me into his arms and the four of us went inside and to the front desk. I couldn't really hear what they were all saying, but before I knew it, I was on a hospital bed and being wheeled towards a room. That's when I started to panic and the pain started to get even worse. "What's happening?!" I cried, gripping Esme's hand that was holding mine, "What's wrong with me?" Edward stood behind her, holding onto the blanket I was previously wrapped in.

"I believe it's your appendix Margaret." Carlisle said, walking on the other side of the bed, "It has most likely ruptured. I sent my team of best surgeons to prep the room and you'll be going in shortly." He explained, his doctor side showing.

That news just made me sob harder, "I don't want to get surgery!" I moaned, my body not enjoying the ride. They all gave me sympathetic looks.

We ended up in a room with nurses already waiting. They transferred me into the bed in the room and drew the curtain around my bed for privacy. I was taken out of my comfortable pajamas and into an itchy gown in a blink of an eye. Wire were hooked up all over my body and something was placed on my finger. The thin curtain was pulled back again and the Cullen's were back around the side of my bed.

Esme looked like a nervous wreck, Carlisle was focused on all of the numbers on the machines, and Edward just stood still as a statue. "Why can't you do the surgery Carlisle?" I whispered, blinking away some tears.

A few escaped, but the doctor's wife was right there to wipe them away, "Because I'm your legal guardian right now." Dr. Cullen explained, looking at me with sympathetic eyes, "I could make an inappropriate call because I don't have an impartial judgement with you." He grabbed my hand, careful of the wires, "But you have nothing to fear, I have the best surgeons to help make you better Margaret."

"But, I could die." I sobbed, starting another panic up, "I'm not ready to die."

The wife's doctor shook her head, wiping more tears away and grabbing my hand tight, "You will not die sweetheart. Carlisle wouldn't let it happen." She reassured.

I tried to take some deep breaths, watching the three of them watching me. "Can you guys do me a favor?" I stuttered out, my voice shaky.

"Anything." Dr. Cullen said, nodding his head.

My body started to shake, the pain becoming almost unbearable at the moment. "Can you tell Alice thank you for all the extra time she spent trying to build my confidence with her makeovers?" I asked, looking at Esme, "And…and could you tell Jasper that I really wanted to read all those books before Thanksgiving, but I didn't." I took a shuttering breath, "And can you tell Emmett that I really did want to go to the lake house with him, even if I'm a strong swimmer." I had to close my eyes at this one, "And…make sure you tell Rosalie I'm sorry for whatever I did. I really don't know what it was, but I'm sorry and I wish she could forgive me."

All of them were nodding, Esme still there wiping my tears away when the nurses came back in. "Time for surgery, Miss. Kringle." One of them said, moving to replace Carlisle's spot on the side of the bed.

My eyes widened big, "But I'm not ready!" I said, trying to sit up but the abdomen pain keeping me down.

"You are ready Margaret." Dr. Cullen said, moving to his wife to bring her out of the other nurses' way, "Your body will thank you when this is over."

I shook my head, "But I still need you to do some stuff for me!" I explained, not being able to stop them from wheeling me out of the room.

Edward and his parents followed me out, "Tell us Maggie." Edward encouraged, coming to stand right next to the nurse on my left. The doctor and his wife were on the right, their faces smiling in encouragement.

I turned to the couple, "Tell Edward thank you for everything he's done for me while I've been with you guys. I don't know what's going on with our relationship, but I'm thankful for him." After I saw them nod, I turned to Edward, "And tell Carlisle and Esme that they're the best parents I've ever remembered. You're so lucky to call them your mom and dad Edward, and I'm jealous sometimes because…because I want to too."

He just nodded, "I will Maggie. Just promise me something." Edward said. All I could do was nod my head as an answer, "Promise me you'll come back. Promise me you won't let this tear you down and you'll come back better than ever before." Before I could respond, I was wheeled through a set of doors that they couldn't follow. But I silently agreed to his promise, finally just letting my body fall limp and letting the doctors, nurses, and surgeons do their jobs.


	8. Chapter 8

Esme POV

* * *

The hospital's waiting room was bleak and depressing. Carlisle and I sat next to each other close to the door hand in hand. Edward was pacing by the room's window, looking worried while clutching Margaret's penguin. "Edward, she's going to be just fine." My husband said confidently, "Why don't you try and take a seat?" He suggested, gesturing to the open seat next to his own. But it was as if Edward didn't hear him, choosing to stop pacing and just stand in front of the window instead.

I saw Carlisle shake his head, letting out a breath that he wasn't holding. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, causing him to look into my eyes, "And how are you holding up, my love?" he asked, "All of the humans around here, are they too much for you?"

"No, my love." I answered, "It seems as though I'm more focused on Margaret's well-being than strangers' different scents floating around." After I confessed, I gave him a questioning look, "Are you sure she'll be fine Carlisle?" I asked, "Humans are fragile, and you know I would rather have you helping her than a group of strangers."

He nodded, "You know that if I could, I would have done the procedure all on my own. But the law prohibits it and we're on in the comfort of a different hospital for me to take charge." My husband gave me a comforting smile, "I made sure to call in the very best Esme, Margaret is in good hands."

We sat like that, in silence for a while, just holding hands and watching our son in front of the window. This gave me some time to think about what that sick little girl had said before going into surgery. That she was jealous of Edward for having myself and Carlisle as parents. While the two of us were more just for show when the children went to school, there had been some parenting moments in the past. I knew that the boys looked up to Carlisle for some guidance with their wives, and Edward would confined in him when he was feeling down. Rosalie and Alice would vent their emotions to me and ask what to do when their husbands were upsetting them. They all had become accustomed to calling us some variation of mother and father. First, it was just a joke starting from Emmett, but now they were all serious when they used those titles. I wasn't sure about my husband, but I was honored by Margaret's confession. Being called mother or mom by her would be touching because the little girl would really mean it and look up to me in that way. And it would warm my still heart to see Carlisle's face if Margaret were to call him dad.

Quick typing on a smart phone brought me out of my happy thoughts as I saw Edward on his phone. "I'm filling in Emmett." Edward said before I could ask, most likely reading my thoughts, "He and Alice asked to be updated."

Before I could enquire more, the doctor walked through the door and my husband and I stood up.

Carlisle POV

* * *

Dr. Walters walked in, and my wife and I stood to greet her. The woman still had on her scrubs, mask around her neck. "How is Margaret, Jessica?" I asked, letting my wife wrap her arm around mine for comfort.

"Your little girl is in recovery." She answered, "During surgery, Margaret had a hemorrhage, so she lost a lot of blood." I could see both Edward and Esme tense up a little at the mention of blood. However, Jessica continued, "But, she's going to be just fine after resting for a long while." Dr. Walters reassured.

I held out my hand to shake hers, "Thank you for taking care of Margaret's surgery Jessica. You saved her life."

The woman shook my hand back, "I'm always to help a patient out Carlisle, but if your boy here didn't act quickly in this situation, it might have been too late." Jessica said, "If you would all like to see Miss. Kringle, she's in recovery room five down the hall. Just understand that she won't wake for a while." With that, she left the waiting room, most likely moving to her next patient.

Silently, I led my wife and son down the hallway to where Margaret was recovering. The room had a large window and a reclining chair for the patient's loved one who was visiting. I drew back the current and could hear my wife's audible gasp. The usually bright and happy girl that we took in was lying in the bed connected to tubes and wires. She was much more pale and had dark circles underneath her eyes. Edward didn't waste a minute to be by her bedside, pulling up a stool and grabbing her hand gently, placing the stuffed toy next to her on the opposite side.

"Oh Carlisle, I feel awful." Esme whispered, hugging me from the side.

I wrapped my arms around her, "I know she looks terrible now, but she will make a good recovery. I'll make sure of it." I said, trying to comfort my wife.

It was silent in the room, machines beeping every so often. Esme and I shared the recliner, pulling it out into the single cot so we could sit on it like a bench. Edwards chuckle gained my attention, "This must be what Maggie feels like." He said, "Sitting with her grandmother for all of those hours and holding her hand."

"You do these things for the people you love." Esme said, "Your heart tells you that it's the right thing to do."

He just nodded, not taking his eyes off of her. I was proud of him for acting the moment Margaret expressed that she felt unwell. And even more proud when he kept everyone in the loop about what was going on. I could tell early on that he was forming a bond with the human girl. If it was love, that was still to be seen, but I was just counting all of my blessings that they both found someone they could confide in.

Edward POV

* * *

I could sense that Carlisle and Esme were embracing each other on the cot they pulled out across from me, but I just could not take my eyes off the Maggie. She looked so helpless laying in the huge and uncomfortable bed. I couldn't read her mind now, but all the way up until she was wheeled into surgery, she was a panicking mess in her mind. At home, we all heard her vomit, and I knew that I would be the only one to handle any blood if there was any. Thankfully, there wasn't and I just sprang into action. Now, she was recovering from a surgery that should have gone much better than it did. But, I was just thankful she was alive.

Her frail hands were cold, and I knew I was making it worse by holding on. But I wanted her to know that someone was there with her, just like she would do with her grandmother a few floors above us. Margaret's hair was frizzy, her eyes closed but not tightly. She looked more peaceful than she had been in the past twelve hours.

My thumb was tracing circles on the back of her hand, as I had seen her do with her grandmother. "Have you heard from the others?" Esme asked, bringing me out of my thoughts for the moment.

"They're planning on coming around five." I answered, "Alice said she saw that Maggie would wake then."

Carlisle asked the next question, "Who is 'they'?"

I looked up to them, not letting go of Maggie, "Everyone. Jasper wants to see for himself that she is alright and Alice has not seen anything bad happening with him coming to visit." I said.

"And Rosalie?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded, "I'm just as surprised as you." Was all I said, turning back to the human girl. It became quiet again for a moment, but I could hear what my adoptive parents were thinking. "Before you ask," I began, "I'm unsure about how I feel about Margaret. Yes, we have grown close, and maybe even affectionate. But, I still am unsure what the future holds for us."

Swiveling on the stool in order to face the couple properly, I continued, "I have no intentions of hurting her at all: physically, mentally, or emotionally. And if, for whatever reason, she does become a part of this family through adoption, would you even want me to marry her? She would be your daughter at that point."

Esme smiled, "Edward, you're our son. I'm just happy that you both seem very happy with each other, even if it is just a very good friendship. And if you want to marry Margaret down the road, I would approve of it full heartedly."

"As would I." Carlisle agreed, "But if nothing is set in stone between the two of you, then there is no need to worry." And they left it at that, just smiling at me with a comforting smile.

My phone vibrated, indicating a text message. I fished the smart phone out of my pocket and saw that it was Alice. She let us know that they were pulling into the parking lot now and they needed to be let in. "It's Alice, they're here." I said.

Esme stood, coming behind me, "Neither of us will leave Margaret. I'll take your place until you come back. The walk might be nice for you. Clear your head a little bit." She laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, and placed a small kiss on my cheek when I stood. True to her word, she took my spot, even holding her hand the way I had.

The hospital was becoming part of my routine with Maggie. We would both go and sit with her grandmother, and I would try and keep her company by just listening to her. She was funny like that, taking the time to just talk to a woman who would not respond because she was in a coma. But, Maggie still took the time to sit and talk with her. Now, it was strange to walk these halls alone when I would usually have her warm hand to hold onto.

When I arrived in the quiet lobby, I saw my brothers and sisters standing by the front desk. They were all holding something, but Emmett held the most things. "What is all of this for?" I asked, taking the vase of sunflowers that Rosalie handed me.

"They're for Maggie." Alice answered, gesturing to the box of cookies in her hands, "We all thought it would be nice to bring her some stuff to make her feel more comfortable while she's recovering here."

I shrugged, understanding the sentiment. Leading them to the elevator, I noticed that they were all a little more tense than I was because of the smells overwhelming them. Jasper the most tense, but looking determined. We all arrived at her room and Alice got to work setting things up. Flowers went by the window; the cookies went on the small table. Emmett placed the large stuffed bear on her bed next to where I placed Pebbles. Jasper quickly put the few books he had next to the cookies. I saw Rosalie stand by the window, not looking at anything outside but feeling uncomfortable being here.

Esme let me have my spot back, and I took Maggie's hand back. "I thought she wasn't going to make it." Emmett confessed quietly.

"She's human." Carlisle said, "They're fragile…We all were once."

Alice kneeled next to me, gently brushing some hair out of the human's face, "She's tough, Emmett." My sister sighed, setting her hands in her lap, "She'll have to be."

I raised my eyebrow in confusion, but she just shook her head. I knew that she would fill me in soon. When we were in private, or at least when she had the time to Carlisle first. Either way, I'd know what she was hinting at sooner rather than later.

But now, I just had to focus on Maggie and wait for her to wake up.

Maggie POV

* * *

Quiet voices. Rhymatic beeping. Calming circles. Cold hands.

My eyes felt incredibly heavy, but I wasn't too tired anymore. My body still felt heavy and there was a weird feeling where my excruciating pain used to be, but I felt so much better. Finally, I cracked my eyes open and was surrounded by yellow flowers. "Sunflowers." I squeaked, causing the room to become silent, "My favorite." Everyone turned to face me, large smiles on their faces.

It was the whole Cullen household, all of them standing or sitting around me. Carlisle and Esme were to my left, the doctor giving his wife a kiss on the head while she reached out to brush some hair from my forehead. At the foot of the bed, Emmett held three stuffed animals and Alice had a couple of balloons in her hands. Jasper was standing by the open door, but a large grin was on his face. What surprised me the most was Rosalie being there, even if she was standing at the window and just glancing over.

Edward was the one holding my hand and tracing circles on the back of it. "Good morning Margaret." Esme said quietly, making me turn my head slowly towards her, "I'm so glad you're ok." She said, looking ready to cry.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice sounding a little horse.

Carlisle was who I turned to for an answer, "Your appendix was removed, but you ended up hemorrhaging during the operation." I must have looked a little confused because he continued, "You lost a lot of blood, but you're fine."

My eyes widened, "So, I could've died…I really could have died in there."

"You're a lucky little girl." Esme said, "And we're so thankful you're here."

All I could do was lay my head back with a flop on the pillow, too weak to properly sit up. That's when I noticed Pebbles had a new friend: an orange Care Bear with a large red heart on its stomach. "It's Tenderheart Bear." I smiled, slipping my hand from Edward's to grab the bear.

"You like it?" Emmett asked, a huge smile on his face, "Because I got a couple more downstairs." Sure enough, there were five more colorful bears in his arms.

I nodded my head, "Grandma Eileen would let me watch them on TV when I was a little girl." I explained.

That made his smile grow, "He was really worried." Alice explained, setting down the balloons at the foot of the bed while Emmett placed the bears at the foot of the bed, "So we took a walk and ended up in the gift shop."

Everyone laughed at that, even Jasper. "I'm happy you came Jasper." I said, giving him a smile.

He flashed me one too, "I'm just happy you're alright darlin'." Jasper confessed, "You had me worried there."

I noticed Emmett and Alice nod in agreement to Jasper's statement. "And I'm happy you came too, Rosalie." I turned my head to face the beautiful blonde. Everyone turned to see her reaction.

She simply nodded, crossing her arms across her chest and biting her lip. "How's your pain?" Edward asked, taking my hand back gently

"Tolerable." I confessed, "Much better than before."

That made him smile, and he began tracing circles again. Esme brushing some more hair out of my face made me look away from the boy. "Why don't you kids head home? It is five in the morning." She said, looking at her children.

Rosalie was walking away from the window, wrapping her arm around Emmett to get him to start leaving. He unwrapped his arm from her and came to give my head a gentle hug, "Don't worry Mags. Once you get out of here, we can start our swim lessons so you'll be ready for the lake house this summer."

"And I'll be sure to pack you some more comfortable lounge clothes to bring up." Alice said, walking over to place a kiss on my forehead, "Something a little more stylish than this gown, hm?"

I laughed at her, knowing what she was hinting at. "I'll send Alice with some new books." Jasper promised, "And we can talk about them when you come home."

I nodded, watching them all get ready to leave. Edward let go of my hand and stood, "I'll be back, I'm going to walk them out." He explained, leaving me with a reassuring smile.

Watching them all go, with most of them waving behind them as they went. That left me with Esme and Carlisle, both of them not taking their eyes off of me. "Margaret, we need to ask you something." The doctor said, exchanging a look with his wife.

"Okay…" I said, looking at them wearily.

Esme moved, coming to sit on the bed closer to me, "Do you remember what you said before you went into surgery?" She asked, "About us?"

I felt a blush on my cheeks, but nodded my head anyways. "Margaret, you don't have to be ashamed of your confession." Dr. Cullen said with his wife nodding in agreement, "We're both touched that you feel that way. And I wouldn't mind if you called us mom or dad."

"Or whatever you're comfortable with." Esme added, "We just want you to be comfortable and if that means you calling us mom and dad, then we're okay with it."

All I could do was bite my lip and look at my lap. While I never really said that I wanted to call them mom and dad, it would be nice to call someone something like that. "I'm not super sure yet you guys. Don't get me wrong, you both are fantastic, but I just don't want to jump the gun or something."

They both gave me a warm smile, "There is no rush Margaret. And if you never address us that way, then that's alright too."

Esme and Carlisle then started to ask me to name the different Care Bears at the foot of my bed. That went on, with them commenting on some of the names, until Edward came back. He took his spot on the swiveling stool and grabbed my hand once more. "Well, I think a nice long walk is in order my love." The doctor announced, standing from his spot, "Won't you join me?"

"I would love to." She smiled, linking with his arm, "We'll be back soon you two."

And with that, the adults were gone. Part of me was thankful to just have Edward in there. But, another part of me was extremely embarrassed because everyone was told my confessions, including him. "Look Edward…" I began.

But, the musician cut me off, "Can I start?" He asked, locking eyes with me. I nodded, looking closely to see his facial expressions, "I know we are in a tricky situation right now with our relationship. But I want you to know that I am not trying to hurt you." Edward began, "My short time with you has been some of the most enjoyable moments I have had in a long time. I have not been this happy in a long time, and I do not regret anything."

"What do you want from this?" I asked, gripping his had a little more tightly, "At the end of the day, what do you want?"

He sighed, shrugging a little, "I'm unsure. While I would one day like to fall in love with a beautiful woman and take her hand in marriage, I'm not sure about that now. What about you?" He asked.

It was my turn to shrug, "Well one day I want a husband to call my own and maybe a couple of kids, but you need to know that I've never had a boyfriend before…I've never even been on a real date." I confessed, looking down.

The room fell silent, my machines the only sound. I could tell Edward was thinking by the expression on his handsome features. "Then, I would like to propose something." He said, "How would you like to go on a date with me? Once you're well, of course. We could make it like a double date with the others if you would be more comfortable. But since you've never been on a real date before, I could at least give you that. That way, if we both enjoyed ourselves, then maybe we could start going steady."

I couldn't help but smile, "That sounds like a good idea to me. I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Perfect!" He grinned, "I'll take care of the planning, you just take care of getting better."


	9. Chapter 9

It took almost two weeks in the hospital to recover from the surgery. But, my time spent in the hospital was needed. It was nice to be in a quiet room, with a bright window and visitors every day. In the morning, Esme would come and visit me. She would often times bring warm pajamas and a homecooked breakfast for me to eat. Mrs. Cullen would fill me in on what was going on at home while I was gone. Like Emmett finding some new video games for us to play or Alice coming home with more clothes than I thought I would ever wear or Jasper finishing a new book or Edward practicing our piece for hours at a time in order to prefect it.

Around eleven, Carlisle would stop by to check in around lunch, especially when the nurses told him I wasn't eating everything on my plate. The doctor in him seemed to kick in, and he lectured me on what could happen to by body if I decided to not finish my lunch. It got to the point where he had to spoon feed me my soup the first couple of days because I refused to finish my meal. After that, he would just join me for an hour and make sure I completed my meal.

Carlisle would go back to work around noon, after a kiss on the head, and leave me to have some alone time until three. During that time, I would either take a nap or try and get some homework done that was brought up for me to do.

However, at three o'clock sharp, Edward would be there to visit with me. Sometimes alone or sometimes with Alice or Emmett. But  _he_  was always there at three o'clock after school until visiting hours were over. My homework from that day was brought up, and the two of us would work through most of what needed to get finished for that day before just talking. We would sit and chat about anything: music, classes, home, the weather. It was just nice that he was there for me every day, just like Esme. I also told him that I was becoming more and more nervous about the concert coming up. But, the talented pianist reassured that we still had plenty of time to make sure that we would be polished in time to perform.

One day early in the week, I asked if Maria knew what was happening. Alice told me that she told her, but Maria just seemed more occupied with Hannah and Ivy than me. While it was hard to hear at the moment, I didn't hold onto that feeling for long. I wanted to make sure that I focused on recovering quickly so that I could get back to the Cullen house soon.

I got to visit Grandma Eileen one time. Well, more like I snuck out during the night to visit her when I wasn't supposed to leave my room. It was about a week in and I couldn't stop thinking about her. How she might be lonely without someone there for her everyday like I was doing. I felt strong enough to walk myself there alone, and did just that. It was the night shift, and the hospital seemed a little short staff, so as stealthy as I could with an IV drip attached to my right arm, I reached her room and went inside. For at least an hour, I sat in my usual spot and held her hand. Grandma Eileen looked just the same, and her grown was changed to a Christmas red one. I filled her in on my health status, but told her not to worry because everyone was taking good care of me. Sadly, I was busted too soon and brought back to my room. When the doctor told Carlisle and Esme in the morning, both of them seemed disappointed in me for leaving as well as worried that I could have hurt myself by walking around like I did. They just begged me to never leave the room without someone again until I was better, and I pinky promised I wouldn't.

* * *

With nineteen days until Christmas, and fifteen days until the concert, it was finally time for me to return to the Cullen house. Emmett and Edward brought home all of my decorations and gifts the day before, so I was the only thing that Esme and Carlisle had to worry about bringing back. Mrs. Cullen brought clothes for me to wear out: black leggings and a long white sweater with brown boots. When I asked if this was Alice's idea, all they did was laugh.

After getting dressed, I noticed that the doctor and his wife were acting a little different around me. Esme seemed to hover a lot more than normal; holding onto my arms when I got in and out of bed, standing close when I was standing as well, never taking her eyes off of the nurses when they detached all of the wires and tubes from my body parts. Carlisle was kind of similar; cautious when I had to complete the exiting exams, reading the charts and papers that my own doctor was filling out, asking me if I felt dizzy or unwell every ten minutes. It was sweet and endearing, but a little strange and annoying too.

I was wheeled to the car and everyone made sure I got into the back seat without any problems. The ride back was peaceful, Dr. Cullen was driving the speed limit and Esme was telling me how much better she was feeling to have everyone back home today. That caused me to give her a large smile, and for her to give me one back.

Carlisle and Esme both held onto me when we walked up the front steps, making sure that I didn't slip and fall on the stairs. When I opened the front door, I was very shocked by what I saw inside. Yellow balloons and streamers were everywhere, along with sunflowers in various sized vases. Everyone was there too, large grins on their faces. Alice finally confessed that it was her idea and she was proud of the work she did for this welcome home party. It was touching, and I even cried a little bit. There were a dozen yellow cupcakes, and no one would leave me alone until I had at least one.

After I slowly had one delicious cupcake, Emmett declared that I was allowed to choose the movie that we were going to watch that night. After browsing the wide selection of choices, I went with  _E.T._ , something I had not watched since I was a little girl. Edward and I took the floor this time, laying out a large blanket for us to lay on top of and the blue blanket for us to share. There was a pillow for me to use, but Edward seemed to want me to use his chest instead. I don't remember much, other than enjoying my place on top of his chest and not letting go of his soft shirt easily.

The days in hospital were nice for recovery, and it gave me a lot of time to thing about this family that I was staying with and the relationships I had formed with them. It was a blessing in disguise, and I learned a lot about myself from this time.

* * *

The morning after I came back from the hospital, Edward informed me at breakfast that he set up our date for this Saturday. That gave me time to start getting my strength back up and rest more comfortably in the large guest bed. But on Saturday morning, I found myself in the vanity chair with my hair at the mercy of Alice and Jasper raiding my closet.

She decided to fishtail braid my hair this time, since the date was more causal: a visit to the museum. "I think it'll be fun!" Alice said, making eye contact with me using the mirror, "I haven't gone to a museum in a long time, right Jazz?" She asked, turning to her boyfriend.

He had laid out an emerald green flannel for me to wear along with dark-wash jeans. "I think the last time we went, Alice, it was when we were visiting the Denali family."

"That's right!" Alice chirped, "Our cousins' have a great museum in the city: art, old machines, lots of historical stuff." She explained, tying the braid together.

My eyes widened, "Wow, that's cool." I said, trying to control my features to hide my geeking out, "I've always really like going to museums…"

Jasper nodded in agreement, "I enjoy them too, Margaret. Glad he decided on something a little more-low key." I nodded slowly too, standing up slowly from my seat. I felt much better today than I had the previous days, but I was still too weak to do something that would require a lot of physical activity. "You better hurry and get dressed Margaret." He said, taking Alice's hand and walking to the door, "You do not want to be late for your date."

With that, the two left before I could groan in embarrassment. Putting on the clothes carefully, minding the scar that was still healing on my stomach and the nice braid on my head, I found the shoes that were picked out as well and put them on. After taking a glance of myself in the mirror, I thought I looked more like my old self and felt a little weird, but not bad. Closing the door behind me, I walked down the stairs slowly and saw my date in standing by the door with my coat on his arm. Jasper and Alice were also by the door, taking in the interactions between the two of us with smirks on their faces.

"You look comfortable." Edward said, holding out my jacket so I could put it on.

I slid my arms in and adjusted the heavy coat carefully, "So do you." I winked, taking in his outfit. It was simple: quarter-length sweater, normal jeans, and gym shoes.

He laughed, offering his hand out for me to take. We were still waiting for Emmett and Rosalie, so I didn't see any harm in hand holding while we waited. "Are you excited for your first ever date?" Alice asked, walking closer to Edward and I.

"How do you know it's my first date?" I asked, turning to Edward with scrunched eyebrows.

Edward looked guilty, his shoes becoming really interesting all of a sudden, "I think it's sweet!" the short girl smiled, "And don't worry, that's all he shared with us, I promise."

I just shook my head, not angry at Edward just embarrassed that everyone knew this was my first ever date. "I'm just sorry you have to have it with Eddie." Emmett said, coming down the stairs hand in hand with his girlfriend.

Carlisle and Esme were right behind them, Esme walking a bit more quickly than the doctor. "Leave them alone Emmett." Mrs. Cullen said, a warning tone in her voice, "I don't want to hear that you ruined the date with all your teasing." It was just getting worse and worse, and I was feeling more and more embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Circles were being traced on the back of my right hand, and I looked up to Edward. He had a soft smile on his face and looked me right in the eyes, "Just ignore them, I do." The pianist shrugged, "Besides, I am honored to be the first one to take you out."

That earned a smile from me, and a squeezed his hand as a thank you. "Now," Dr. Cullen said, coming up to everyone with his arm wrapped around his beautiful wife, "curfew is at ten o'clock Edward, so I expect Margaret brought back here by then." He said, almost like a worried father sending his daughter to prom, "Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Edward said very seriously, "We'll be back  _before_  ten."

Esme came out of her embrace to give me a tender hug, "If you want to come home, you just tell Edward and he will bring you straight back." She instructed, "And if you start to feel unwell, tell Edward and he will take care of you. And if you start to get too tired, tell Edward and he can bring you back home."

I laughed, pulling away from the warm hug, "OK Esme, I'll be fine. I'm excited to go."

She looked a little unsure, but not like she would keep me back, "Alright dear. Well, you all have a great time." Esme said, going back to her husband's side.

"Ready to see some old crap?" Emmett teased, grabbing his car keys from the hook.

I rolled my eyes, letting my date lead me out the door behind him, "I actually really like seeing artifacts." I said, holding on tight to Edward's hand, "And I'm ready to see you die of boredom, if that's what you mean." He just let out a loud and jolly sounding laugh, opening the door for Rosalie to get in. Edward did the same with his Volvo, and I got in after thanking him.

**0**

The museum was nothing special. I had gone there with my classes in middle school for various field trips, and the exhibits never really changed. This time wasn't too different. But, everyone decided that we needed to go through the worst exhibit of them all: Mummies of Ancient Egypt.

It wasn't that I didn't think ancient Egypt wasn't exciting, because I did. It was one of the oldest pieces of human history that we have, but I just don't like mummies. They're creepy, old, dead people wrapped up for display. And I always had nightmares that they would just sit up one day and start acting like zombie.

But, I didn't want to ruin it for everyone, so I kept my mouth shut and my grip on Edward's hand tight. At one point, he finally noticed that I was looking everywhere but and the wrapped-up bodies and asked if I was ok. Reluctantly, I confessed about my fear of zombies to him so he would understand. He and Emmett, who was standing close by and heard my confession, laughed a little at me, which kind of hurt my feelings. But, Edward told the others that we were going to move onto another exhibit and would catch up later. He also apologized for laughing, saying that he didn't mean to make fun of my fears, but didn't understand how I could have a fear of something that wasn't real.

I tried to explain, but just became flustered and more embarrassed and gave up. Thankfully, he dropped it and led me to the next exhibit: Greek statues.

Our arms were linked together as we walked into the large hall, and I was in awe at all of the marble around. "Feeling alright?" He asked, a little worry in his voice.

"I'm fine." I smiled, leaning in to hug his arm as reassurance, "Does this adventure have an ending or goal?" I asked, not worried but just curious.

He shrugged, "Not sure, just away from my siblings."

That made me really laugh, "I thought it was sweet that they all wanted to come." I admitted, "It was nice to just do something normal with everyone. Nice bonding event." It was his turn to laugh at me, stopping in front of a man's bust that had a grim look on its face.

There was a small bench he led me to after we both looked at a couple of other men's heads, both of us taking a seat. It was in front of the statue of Aphrodite, goddess of love. People must have left roses, because they were scatted around the floor in front of the woman's feet. "Thought we could just sit." He mused, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close.

It was nice, how much he like to be near me and want to embrace or hold hands or even cuddle. If this was what it was like to date someone, I was fully on board for this part. "Edward…" I began, trailing off at the end.

"Margaret…" he responded, pulling me a little closer.

"How long have you been with Carlisle and Esme?" I asked quickly, almost regretting it when it came out.

I thought we had gotten to a point where we could share some more sensitive stories with each other, and no one ever said anything about coming to live with the adults of the house, so I was a little curious.

He hummed, trying to remember, "A long time… a  _really_  long time." Was his answer, "I honestly cannot remember."

"But you remember when your mother passed, don't you?" I asked quietly.

Edward nodded, "Of course I do. But people can suppress some memories that are traumatic to them, and the first couple of years with mom and dad were not too happy for me." He admitted, looking down.

I grabbed his chin gently, turning his face to look at me, "It's better now. That's all that matters." I firmly said, giving him a smile, "You grow and change and only improve. That's what matters."

Letting go, he still looked at me with wonder in his eyes and a grin on his face, "You're right, it is better now. Especially with you here." That caused my face to burn with a blush, and I just shook my head with a laugh, "But, I do remember my first Christmas with mom and dad." Edward admitted.

"Tell me about it." I said, turning my body so that I was facing him better. His arm unwrapped from me, and I took his hand instead, "Tell me what you remember."

It was quiet for a minute, the pianist collecting his thoughts carefully, "There was a lot of snow that year." He began, "And we had gotten a real tree. Esme and I decorated it while Carlisle was at work.  _It's A Wonderful Life_  was playing on the TV before we went to bed on Christmas Eve, and I remember having a hard time falling asleep. It was the first holiday without my mother, and I was sad. But, Christmas morning was full of presents, and that's when Carlisle gave me my watch. From that moment, Christmas became my favorite holiday to spend with mom and dad, especially when we would get real trees."

He finished, looking down at his lap, "Are they still quiet Christmases now?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"No." Edward chuckled, shaking his head, "Alice loved Christmas before mom and dad, and now it's her job to spread the holiday cheer all month long. So, be ready for red and green everything."

That made me laugh, "Now that I know her, I wouldn't doubt it." We both laughed, feeling really good.

The afternoon was perfect: there wasn't anyone else in this exhibit, and soft music was playing quietly over the speakers almost as to set the mood. Soft lights surrounded Edward and I, and I couldn't have asked for a better first date if I tried. "Thanks for bring me out." I smiled, moving in close, "This was a great first date."

"It's not over yet." He said, moving closer himself. After a moment, Edward reached to grab my other hand, "I wanted to share something with you. You just need to trust me."

I nodded, shaking a little out of nerves, "I…I trust you Edward." Edward nodded too, leaning in closer to my face.

Before I could react, his lips touched mine and I had just gotten my first kiss. It wasn't anything hardcore, but it was really nice and really shocking. My eyes widened when he pulled back, "I'm sorry." Edward apologized quickly.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head, "What? No!" Edward replied, "I just should have asked you first." He confessed.

I bit my bottom lip, "I thought it was sweet." I whispered, "It was my first kiss, and I wouldn't have known what to do…"

It was Edward's turn to look shocked, " _That_  was your first kiss?!" He asked. I nodded slowly as an answer, " _I_  was your first kiss?"

"Yes Edward!" I said, a little annoyed that he looked so surprised, "Yes! You're my first date, my first person to cuddle with, and my first kiss!" I said, exasperated.

It was quiet for a moment or two, both of us just looking at each other. "Well…was it nice?" He asked, looking me in the eyes.

A blush formed on my cheeks at his question, "Yeah…yeah it was really nice." I confessed, burring my head into his chest. Too embarrassed to look at him.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly, "That's good to hear." I heard him chuckle, "Glad it was a good first kiss."

"Me too." I whispered into his jacket, "Me too."


	10. Chapter 10

Edward POV

We all returned home from the museum around six o'clock, and Maggie and I spent the remainder of the evening practicing our piece. She expressed how nervous she was that we didn't have enough time to perfect the piece because she was in the hospital, but there were only three mistakes through the whole time we practiced. Carlisle stopped us at eight, saying that Margaret needed to get into bed so she would be rested enough to return to school.

After walking her to her room, and letting the tiny human rap her arms around my neck and place a kiss on my cheek, I joined the others down in the family room.

"Ooh!" Emmett's voice teased from his place on the recliner, "here comes lover boy!"

I just rolled my eyes, taking the empty spot next to Dr. Cullen on the couch. "I can't believe you took her to the Aphrodite statue!" Alice said, a small laugh in her voice, "That's  _so_  cheesy!"

Her and Emmett shared a long and loud laugh. After Margaret and I shared our first kiss, and Margaret's first ever kiss, my siblings found us sitting on the bench. While they didn't say anything about it while we were still in the exhibit, I could hear all of their thoughts loud and clear. Most of their thoughts were teasing with traces of it being sweet and corny. "We sat at a bench so I could let her rest." I explained, folding my arms across my chest, "It just so happened to be right there."

"Sure Edward." Jasper said, turning the page in his worn book, "We believe you." More laughs came from the others in the room.

I saw that Esme shook her head, a smile on her face. "Margaret looked very happy when you returned home. I'm sure it was a very nice date for her." She said.

It warmed my un-beating heart to see my adoptive mother so happy. She worried about all of us, Margaret included. And it wasn't any secret that she tended to worry about me more than my other siblings because I was alone. But now, she seemed more relaxed about my mental state because I was enjoying myself with the human girl asleep upstairs.

A huff from the corner of the room broke me out of my thoughts and to the blonde standing in the corner. "So, they're happy now, but what about in a week? Or a month?" Rosalie said, a serious look on her face, "What about if, or when, she finds about who we all  _really_  are? What are all of our cousins going to say when they come for the holidays? What about when she has to go back to live with her grandmother? Or when they break up? We all remember how Edward was after the whole Bella situation…"

"That's enough Rosalie." Carlisle interrupted, sensing where this was all leading to. I was thankful he stopped her when he did, "Why can't we all just live in the moment, and relish in this happy day for your brother and that poor human girl? She's been through hell recently, and having one nice and normal day for her won't ruin the rest of our lives."

Before I could hear Rosalie's rebuttal, I excused myself to my room for the night. Passing my room and the other bedrooms, I wanted to make sure that Maggie was sleeping peacefully before actually going into my room. The door opened quietly and I suck my head in: Maggie was curled up under the heavy quilt with Pebbles and Tenderheart in her arms while the other animals were all tucked into the bed next to her. A smile formed on my face as I closed the door behind me.

Margaret was not the average girl, and I was beginning to really see what I was getting myself into with her.

* * *

Maggie POV

There were only fifteen more days until Christmas, and eleven more until the Winter concert, when I found myself franticly trying to prefect my portion of the piano piece. Edward was out for the day, feeling a little under the weather today and taking a sick day. I took advantage of this to play in a relaxed way and without the pressure of being prefect in front of him.

As my hands flew across the ivory keys, I couldn't help but let the worry of what was happening after school into my mind. Alice had me write down my name and place it into a sequenced silver stocking before we left for school. She explained that everyone in the house has done a Secret Santa ever since all of them moved in together, and they insisted that I be included this year. At first, I thought it was neat because I was never in one of these drawings before. But now, I was making myself really nervous over this. My money was tight and I had no clue what the budget for this was going to be. Plus, I only felt confident enough with some of the Cullen's to know exactly what I would get them for Christmas, not all of them.

Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts and heard the bell ring. With a sigh, I folded up the piece of music and placed back into the folder before grabbing my backpack and heading into the hall. I needed to grab my history textbook from my locker before class, and weaved carefully through the halls to get there. They seemed more crowded than usual, but I think part of that reason was because Edward was gone today. I fell into our routine of him walking me to and from class for a couple of weeks that it was strange to walk alone now.

I reached my locker and dialed in the combination quickly, not wanting to be late to history. Slowly bending down, I reached my book on the bottom shelf and made sure that I had everything I needed. Again, I slowly stood up with my books in my hands and was ready to close my locker when it was slammed shut in front of my face.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." Hannah taunted, turning to give a smug look at Ivy to her right, "Maggie the Mouse is all alone today."

Biting my bottom lip, I tried to refrain from saying anything that would start trouble. "Look Hannah," Ivy said, "it seems like the Cullen's must have brainwashed her into being silent."

I heard Hannah huff as I tried to move around them, "Do you blame them?" She asked, moving so she was blocking the space between her and Ivy, "I wouldn't want to hear a crying orphan all day long either. Granny isn't doing too well these days, is she Maggie?"

"Is it true that you're Dr. Cullen's volunteer work for the year?" Ivy asked, pushing her glasses up higher on her face, "Because I know that doctors and nurses need a certain number of hours every year."

That made Hannah laugh, "That's the only way I'd take her into my home." She clarified, "I'd need to payed to let her sleep there, of course. There's no way she's worth a free stay."

"Can you just leave me alone?" I asked, a little aggression in my voice, "I need to get to class."

They both looked at each other with their eyes widened, "Ooh, the mouse has a mouth on her!" Hannah said, walking forward to cause me to take a few steps back.

"Do you talk with your new boyfriend in that tone?" Ivy spat, following her friend's motions and stepping towards me, "Oh wait, he must be a charity case too. Who could every tolerate  _you_  in that kind of way?"

My back bumped against the wall and I pulled my books closer to my chest. It was this point when I noticed that the upper-classmen from the Cullen house were standing close by, watching what was going on. "Just let me go to class." I said, not looking them in the eye.

By the time I realized what was actually happening, my face contacted a flying fist. Hannah had let her angry fist fly and it landed on my right cheek hard. Another came to the left once I actually reached the ground, and I tried to protect myself with my arms. Not only did I want to protect my face, but the stitches that were still healing on my stomach. My defensive position was to use my hands to cover my face and curl into a ball to protect my stomach.

Coach Shae and Mr. Reid were there quickly to pull both girls off of me, yelling at the both of them to knock it off. "Maggie!" someone cried, close to my body on the ground, "Maggie, talk to me!"

I peeled my arms away to see Alice kneeled at my side, looking over my body carefully. "My face." I said quietly, trying to keep back tears, "She punched me in the face."

When my eyes opened all the way, I saw the others there too. Jasper and Rosalie seemed to be holding an angry looking Emmett back. "What happened?" The curly haired Jasper asked, worry on his face.

"They wouldn't leave me alone." I explained, sitting up carefully and holding my bruising cheeks, "I just wanted to get to class."

"Did you fight back?" Emmett growled, causing my eyes to widen in shock.

I just shook my head no, no wanting anything to do with violence in the first place. At that moment, I was just as lost and confused as they were as to why I was even confronted in the first place. And where was Maria? She usually tagged along with these two now a days, and she was absent for the whole ordeal.

Before I could ponder anymore, I saw Mr. Reid approach us, "Miss. Kringle, you'll have to join us in the Vice Principal's office young lady."

Alice stood up, offering a helping hand for me. "She just got the crap beat out of her!" I heard Emmett say, disgust in his voice, "Can't you tell that it wasn't her fault from her poor face?!"

"This is school policy Mr. Cullen." The strict English teacher explained, "And aren't the rest of you late for your classes?"

The muscular boy came up to my left side, with the usually cheery Alice occupying my right, "This is a family matter, we're not leaving until we know what's going to happen with Maggie, right guys?"

Alice gave a firm nod, an unusually stern look on her face. Jasper gave an agreeing nod too, even Rosalie gave an almost unnoticeable nod herself. Mr. Reid let out a sigh, "Fine, we just need to get going."

The English teacher led the rest of us down the hall and to the Vice Principal's office. I never had to go to the Vice Principal's office before for anything. I am a good kid and don't get myself into trouble, especially at school. So, on top of not knowing what was going to happen with me because of this, I now began to panic about this being my first time in the office.

We reached the large office and he had us sit outside of his door on some plastic chairs. Emmett made sure I sat down ok before sitting next to me, looking over my face, "That's a nasty color." He muttered, looking over my face.

I felt my face turn into a frown at his remark, knowing well that I was going to bruise and swell because of this. When I looked over to the left, I saw the school's nurse making her way down the hall in a hurry. Mrs. O'Sullivan held two ice packs in her hands and a surprised look was on her face, "When Mr. Kelly called, I didn't think you'd be this bruised." She said, kneeling in front of me and placing the freezing packs on my face, "Keep these on or you'll swell."

"Of course, she's going to swell!" the muscular Senior said with a glare in his eyes, "She was attacked in the hall way!"

Mrs. O'Sullivan sent him a deadly looking glare right back, "That is not my job, Mr. Cullen. I was told to bring ice to a young lady who was punched in the face." The older woman turned to face me, "When they defrost, a bag of peas will do the trick. I'm going to call your legal guardian to let them know what's happening and come to pick you up." I just nodded, a mixture of embarrassment and anxiety churning in my stomach.

When she left, all five of us just sat and waited for the Vice Principal to come and get me from the chair. Time ticked slowly, and I began to feel worse and worse.

"I'm sorry Mags." I head Emmett whisper. He was focused on a spot on the ground and his hands were fists. That just made me feel worse. I didn't understand why he felt sorry for me when I was too weak to defend myself to begin with. I should've gotten away from them before it turned violent in the first place instead of just let them take me down like they did.

Finally, the door opened and the other girls stepped out with annoyed expressions on their faces. Mr. Kelly stepped out too, a little shocked to see more than just me waiting for him, "Miss. Kringle, you're up." He announced, waiting for me to stand up and follow him in.

It seemed like a long and dark walk into his office, and the office itself was dreary looking and made me feel more awful. He closed the door behind us and I took a seat in the chair that was in front of his desk. "Can I offer you something to drink Miss. Kringle?" Mr. Kelly asked, going behind his desk after I shook my head.

With a long sigh, he sat down and shuffled through some papers. "What's going to happen to me?" I whispered after a moment of silence.

"Well," Mr. Kelly began, finally looking me in the eye, "Mrs. O'Sullivan informed me that she called your guardian, so you will be going home early today. And Miss. Lennon and Miss. Pidge are suspended for five days because of their actions. We do not tolerate violence at this school."

I bit my bottom lip, "So you know I didn't do anything wrong?"

"I know you did not participate in physical violence." The vice principal explained, "However, those girls clamed you expressed some hurtful words to them. Care to enlighten me on that?"

My jaw fell slack, "That's a lie Mr. Kelly!" I cried, "They're the ones who approached my locker and taunted me about my sick grandma and living with the Cullen's! All I did was try and leave to make it to Mr. Pierce's class on time!"

Mr. Kelly took a couple of notes down on the notepad in front of him, "Miss. Lennon and Miss. Pidge say that you were aggressive towards them as well. Saying that you were better than them and such things."

"That is a lie!" I felt tears coming to my tender eyes at this point, "Mr. Kelly you need to believe me! They have done nothing but try and ruin my life since Grandma Eileen was put into a coma!"

He held up a hand to stop me, causing me to shut my mouth quickly. "Miss. Kringle, while I am not sure who said what to who at this point, it is obvious who was hurt more." The vice principal explained, "So at this point, you are free of consequence. But I do not want to see you in this office again for this kind of situation. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir." I mumbled, standing up slowly from my seat when he came back around and opened the door to his office.

Esme was standing out there along with the other upper-classmen. She wrapped me in a hug, sending glares to the vice principal when they made eye contact, "Are you alright dear?" Esme said, pulling me away to get a better look at my face.

I didn't say anything, not feeling much better after being called a liar by the vice principal of my school. "Mrs. Cullen, Margaret needs to be taken home for the rest of the day." Mr. Kelly instructed, "I'm sure your children could pick up the remainder of her assignments for her."

She sent more eye daggers his way, then softened her eyes drastically when she looked at me, "Yes, I'm sure they will. Let's head home Margaret." With that, she turned around and led me carefully out of the building. The rest of the Cullen/Hale gang followed us to the school's front entrance to say goodbye.

The car ride was quiet and I noticed Esme driving much more quickly than I thought she would have. She looked really angry, more angry and upset than I had ever seen her before. When we got home, Esme didn't say a word as she led me into the kitchen and sat me down on the chair. She took the now soggy ice packs from my face and pulled out a bag of frozen peas to replace them with.

"I'm sorry Esme." I whispered, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at her reaction, "I'm really sorry."

I felt her hands come onto my lap, assuming that she knelt down in front of me. "Why are you apologizing Margaret? This was not your fault."

"I wouldn't have gotten a black eye if I would've stood up for myself!" I mumbled, letting a tear slip from my eye, "And now I've got this ugly bruise to add to my ugly scar."

A sigh escaping her mouth made me open my eyes and look at her, "Margaret Eileen Kringle," She began, standing up and taking my free hand into both of hers, "you are such a beautiful young lady. A scar or a bruise or a blemish do not take away from the beauty you behold: inside and out." Esme gave me a firm look, showing that she was deadly serious, "And those girls put you into a sticky situation. One where I would have acted the same way as you."

"But I should've stood up for myself!" I exclaimed, looking away from her gaze.

"And what would you have done?" She asked, "Fight back? Use hurtful word? Become just like them?" I shook my head after a moment, letting her words sink in, "The best thing you could've done in that situation was try to get away. And you tried to do just that. It is just unfortunate that you couldn't get away before it became physical."

Slowly and carefully, Mrs. Cullen stood me up and wrapped tender arms around me. I let a couple of sobs escape and she just stood and rubbed my back in a comforting way. "Thank you, Esme." I whispered after a minute or two of crying.

"Why don't we go upstairs and try to rest?" She suggested, leading me to the family room so we could head upstairs, "I need to call Carlisle and let him know what happened and you look like you could use a nice rest."

I just agreed, feeling really exhausted all of a sudden. The doctor's wife helped me get into the large bed, folding back the quilt and handing me all of my animals to keep me company. I kept the ice pack on my face by laying on my back. Before Esme left me to rest, I called for her to wait a minute. "You're a great mom." I whispered, eyes closed.

Without looking, I heard her walk back over to my bed and shower the top of my head with gentle kisses, "Sweet dreams sweet heart. Let me know if you need anything else."

**0**

A knock on my door is what finally made me leave my bed. I had only slept for two hours, but decided to catch up on my reading while the house was quiet. After marking my page and setting it on the bedside table, I took the now thawed bag of peas off my face and went to the door. It was Edward, a worried look on his face when he saw my face, "This is all my fault." Was all he said, not looking away.

"What?" I asked, really confused.

Edward took my face into his hands carefully, "If I would've been there today, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

I shook my head, pulling away from his hands, "How do you know? This could've happened still."

He just looked really bummed out mixed with angry, "And how could they only be suspended?! They physically hurt you!"

"Just drop it." I mumbled, slipping past him so that we could hopefully move away from the topic if we went down stairs. He grabbed my hand while we walked the hallway to the back staircase, "I'm just grateful that I didn't get into any trouble."

We both made it into the kitchen where it appeared that a battle plan was commencing. Emmett and Jasper looked very serious while scribbling onto a piece of paper while Alice was making herself busy by shaking the stocking from his morning, "What's going on?" I asked, making them all look up.

"We're planning your revenge." Emmett said causally, holding up the piece of paper, "A combo and egging and teepeeing should do the trick."

Before I could agree to this master plan, Dr. Cullen stopped them when he entered the kitchen, "Revenge is never the answer boys, and you know it." I noticed that his wife and Rosalie followed behind him.

Jasper looked sad, dropping his red pen on the table. "But Dad! They gave her a black eye! Going to egg their houses is nothing in comparison!"

"Margaret is better than that." The good doctor explained, taking the paper from his son and looking it over, "And doesn't four dozen eggs seem like overkill?"

Emmett shook his head, "It wouldn't been for Maggie."

That made me smile, taking a seat at the table next to him. I gave him a hug, squeezing his muscled arms, "Aw Emmett! I think it's nice that you want to seek revenge, but your dad's right. We're better than that."

He turned so he could give me a big hug in return, fluffing up my hair after he let go, "Only because you don't want to Mags. If you were game, I would be ready in an hour."

Jasper and Edward laughed at that, both of them taking their seats at the table. Rosalie and Esme joined too, all eyes on the short and bubbly girl who sat on top of the island. "Now that we're all here, it's time to draw names for Secret Santa!"

I raised my hand, feeling like I was back in class for a moment, "What's the rules for this? Like budgets and stuff?"

"The budget is fifty dollars." Esme explained, "And you cannot pick your significant other or yourself. So, no Edward."

That made me blush. We weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but I guess I get what they were hinting at. "And who gets to pull first?" I asked, becoming a little more excited now that I knew I would have just enough to stay with in the budget.

"Oldest to youngest?" Jasper offered, causing everyone else to nod in agreement.

With a large smile, Alice jumped off the counter and handed the stocking to her dad so he could go first. I watched all of them stir their hand around in the silver sock and pull out the tiny pieces of paper. They would peak at the name they drew and have different reactions: Carlisle and Jasper both gave smiles, Emmett sent me a wink, Rosalie placed hers into her pocket, Esme grinned about as large as Alice, and Edward just nodded his head.

"And last, but not least." Alice chirped, handing the sock over.

Reaching my hand in, I felt around for the last piece of paper. Pulling it out, I opened the folded piece of paper slowly and read the name. I tried to have the best poker face that I could when I read the fancy script on the paper, but I think I might have failed because I felt my heart drop into my stomach. There, on the paper, it read  **Rosalie**.


	11. Chapter 11

Carlisle POV

While I was sitting in my study, pondering over what to get my secret Santa for their present, my beautiful wife came in told me that I was 'needed' in our room. Without needing anymore encouragement, I took Esme's hand and let her lead me into our room. With a smile on my face, I sat on our bed and watched the beautiful woman in front of me slowly take off her jewelry and place them into the jewelry box that was on the vanity.

"Do you think everyone is ready for the holidays Esme?" I asked, untying my shoes.

She was brushing her long, caramel hair out and letting the curls fall gracefully around her shoulders, "Are you referring to our children or our guests?"

"Both I suppose." I answered, mostly meaning our children but I suppose an update on our 'extended family' would be nice as well.

Esme set down her brush and joined me on our bed, moving the shoes out of the way before sitting next to me. "I think that the children are ready to be on their holiday break." She answered, leaning her head on my shoulder, "And I have called everyone this week to see if they were all still planning on joining us this year. It's been so long since we've hosted at one of our homes."

I nodded in agreement; the Denali Coven, along with the American, European, and Romanian nomads are who we always spend Christmas with. Most of them I would consider family, like my dear friends Alistair and Eleazar. Or Jasper's old friend Peter. All of them are always welcomed into any of my homes with open arms as we would be welcomed into theirs as well.

"Do you think we should tell them about Margaret?" I whispered, turning to look at her, "About how she still is unaware of our true identities?" Esme looked like she was deep in thought about my question, and I could not blame her.

We were now stuck between a rock and a hard place with this situation: Margaret was a smart girl and would catch on eventually to what we really were, but I also had not informed anyone of the human currently staying with us who was unaware about all of these vampires coming to stay for the holidays. While this may cause a problem with some of the vampires who did not follow our lifestyle, I knew that they would all be able to make it through the holiday if they came fed.

Finally, she gave me her answer, "I don't think it would be wise to tell her about us Carlisle. She will return to her grandmother once Eileen is better and out of the hospital." Esme explained, "But, I think I will call everyone and let them know that she's staying with us for the holidays and to keep our secret a secret."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan darling." I answered, giving her a smile.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, just looking at each other and taking in the beauty of the quiet night. "Do you think Edward and Margaret are meant for each other?" Esme whispered, breaking the silence.

It was my turn to ponder for a moment, "I think that Edward is much happier with Margaret than with Isabella." I began, giving her a minute to let that sink in, "However, I think that it might be too early to tell because of how young the human is."

"That's fair." My wife nodded, "I just want them to be happy, Carlisle." She confessed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders, "Just like the others are happy and how we are happy."

I placed a kiss on her forehead, "Mio amore, I am sure they are just as happy with each other as I am with you." I placed another kiss on her left cheek, "But, I would like to think that we are a little just a tiny bit 'happier' than they are," I placed a final kiss on her right cheek, "if you follow what I am hinting at."

She laughed, giving me a proper kiss, "I understood long ago Carlisle." I returned the favor, pulling her into my lap quickly and placing my hands onto her waist.

The two of us were becoming more and more intimate with each other when we heard some tossing and turning. We sat up quickly, knowing that it was Margaret in her room. "I'll go." I offered, giving her a kiss, "Keep the bed warm for me." With a wink, I made sure that I didn't look too disheveled and left the bedroom.

Quietly, I opened the guest bedroom door and saw the tiny human tossing around underneath the quilt. Her animals were on the floor by her side and face twisted into a frown. Carefully, I took a seat on the bed and began to rub her back gently, whispering comforting words to Margaret. Once I saw her features relax a little more, I stopped rubbing her back and stood from my seat on the bed. After gathering her little friends and making sure they were back on the bed, I placed a small kiss on her head and left without another sound.

When I returned to my room, Esme was still where I left her, keeping the bed warm.

* * *

Maggie POV

With ten days until Christmas, and four days until the Winter concert, I found myself in my usual spot next to Grandma Eileen's bed. Like usual, Edward was there to join me, and I was grateful for him today more than usual. Carlisle had to break some bad news earlier: that Grandma Eileen had some recent tests that did not come back so great. She wasn't improving, and actually failed some of them. Things weren't looking too bright in the future, but Dr. Cullen reassured me that just because a couple tests were not the best, doesn't mean I should not have faith in her still being able to recover. Edward agreed with his dad, telling me that some people need to get worse before they get better.

After a couple of hours, Edward and I left the hospital, making sure to tell Carlisle that we were heading out before leaving hand in hand. We planned on going secret Santa shopping today, with only a few more days until the holidays. The drive was nice, Christmas music playing over the speakers in the car.

Edward took us to the outdoor mall where we had gotten our Fall picture clothes. "Do you have any clue what you're getting your person?" I asked, holding tightly to his hand as we moved through the busy lines. I really didn't want to get lost in the crowds that were also doing their Christmas shopping as well.

"Not a clue." He admitted, leading the way to the department store, "It's hard to find something without being predictable." Edward explained.

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I'm lost too. I mean, what do you get someone who already has everything they could ever want?" I asked, a sigh escaping my mouth.

The Junior let go of my hand to open the store's door for me, "I'm sure you'll find something good. It's the thought that counts, right?"

"I guess so." I sighed again, grabbing his hand once we entered the store, "Alright, let's have a game plan here." I began firmly, looking at the time on my phone, "It's three now. Let's meet back here by the North entrance in an hour." I said, looking for an answer in his face.

He smiled, giving me a nod, "Sounds good to me." He gave me a small kiss on the cheek before letting go of my hand, "Good luck."

I smiled back, blush coming to my cheeks. "You too!" With a small wave, I made my way towards the women's section of the store.

Rosalie was going to be a struggle, not only for what to buy her, but that she wouldn't be satisfied with anything that I could get her. Clothes were not on the table at all, not trusting myself to pick anything out for her. Neither were books because I had zero clue what she would like to read, or even if she liked reading.

After shaking these negatives thoughts from my head, I found myself walking with some new-found determination in my step and I ended up finding myself in front of the jewelry counter. An older woman was standing behind the counter, a kind look on her face, "Is there anything I can help you with today dear?" she asked, adjusting the small chain around her neck.

"Yes, actually." I said, biting my bottom lip a little nervous, "I have a fifty-dollar limit for a secret Santa thing and need to find something for my…friend." I explained, choosing my words carefully, "I'm really lost at what to get for her."

She gave me a smile, "I'm sure we can find you something to purchase. Now, what does she like?"

That was the million-dollar question. Rosalie was the person I knew the least out of everyone, and now I was stuck finding something for her. "Well, she does really love her boyfriend."

The store employee's eyes seemed to light up at that information, "A boyfriend…do you know his birthday?" She asked, motioning for me to follow her to the other side of the counter.

"I could ask his brother." I said, pulling out my phone to text Edward and ask him when Emmett's birthday was, "What did you have in mind?"

She stopped by a glass case, taking out some keys to unlock it, "A birthstone necklace." The older woman explained, taking out a couple of colorful necklaces, "So that she has a little piece of him, even when they're not together."

A smile formed on my face, "That's a great idea! I said, looking over the stones that she was laying out on top of the counter. My phone buzzes, Edward getting back to me with an answer, "He was born in July." I answered, thanking God that the pianist got back to me quickly.

"Then ruby it is." The employee said, holding up the necklace for me to inspect in the light, "Rubies are very valuable in Asia, and is a symbol of passion, protection and prosperity." She enlightened me.

It was on a silver chain and the gem was in an oval shape connected by the chain, "It's perfect!" I said, taking the delicate necklace into my hand, "How much is it?" I asked, setting down the necklace.

She took it back, "Forty-dollars, and I will even wrap it for you free of charge."

"That's perfect." I smiled, following her to the register.

The woman rung it up, "So, any more shopping you need to do?" She asked when I handed her my cash.

I bit my lip, "Well, I do have this new…person…in my life that I don't know what to get them."

"A boyfriend?" The elderly woman asked, pulling out some wrapping paper to wrap the tiny box.

That was where I was unsure. Edward and I had gone on another date to the music store, just looking over some old records and buying a couple, but we both still counted it as a date. "I think so." I admitted, looking at her hands wrapping instead of her face, "I'm not sure if it's official, but he deserves a gift." I did feel like I needed to have something to get Edward, even if it was just for a friend. He has done so much more me while I had been staying with the Cullen family that I could never ask for.

The gift was wrapping in silver wrapping, patterned with snowflakes. "If I were you," she began, "then I would choose something from the heart. You can never go wrong with a meaningful present." With a wink, she handed me the wrapped gift.

"Thank you again for all your help today." I smiled, taking the present.

I still had about twenty minutes to walk back to the meeting spot, and I used that time to think about what I would get Edward. It was hard to think of something even though I knew him the best. Music would be too obvious in my mind, and again, I did not have any sense of fashion in my bones to find him clothes. But, clothes gave me a good idea: cufflinks. I knew that Edward didn't really tend to wear something like that every day, but the cufflinks were my dad's. He had gotten them on his wedding day from his dad, so I knew that they were important. Edward was  _that_  important to me too, so that's what I decided to give him. I could picture where they were in my house in Grandma Eileen's jewelry case.

When I arrived, Edward was already there, sitting on a bench and playing on his phone. "Find what you were looking for?" I asked, causing him to look up from his phone.

"Yes ma'am." He smiled, holding the small bag in his hand, "And I see you did as well."

Edward gestured to the tiny gift in my hands, "Thankfully." I answered, taking his free hand, "I really hope I chose right." I confessed, letting him lead me back to the car.

**0**

When we got home after shopping, Edward suggested that we practice in front of an audience so that someone other than us could hear if it sounded good.

So, that was why I was following behind Emmett and Jasper who were carrying up kitchen chairs into the music room to make a 'stage' for them to sit and watch. "I feel like this is so exclusive." Emmett joked, making his way to the room, "First listen of the talented duo: Mag and Ed!"

"It's nothing impressive." I warned, sitting down at the piano's bench, "I think I bring Edward's talent down."

Jasper set down his chairs next to where Emmett placed his, "Don't say that Margaret." He began, taking a seat in his chair, "You both have been practicing for weeks now, you both know the piece my heart. There's not a chance it can sound bad."

Almost instantly when he said his comforting words, I felt a wave of calmness come over me. Even though I was still worried that they wouldn't think I was nearly as good as Edward, I had some small confidence put into me.

Soon, Edward and the others joined us upstairs in the music room and took their seats. "Ready?" Edward asked, sitting next to me. He placed the piece on the stand in front of us and placed a small kiss on my head. I nodded, trying to calm my shaking hands by placing them into my lap and taking a deep breath. "We're going to be fine." He said, placing his hands on the keys.

After a moment, I placed my hands on the keys as well. Giving my partner a nod, we began the piece with a good tempo. I focused on my hands, the notes, and Edward next to me. Slowly, it was almost like it was just the two of us in the room. I noted a smile was on my partner's face as we got further into the song, and I let one form on mine too. Fingers flying across the keys with practiced certainty, I knew that we were crushing this song.

Finally, the last notes were played and the song was over just like that. Applause filled the room, which had both of us turn around and look at the audience who just watched us play. Everyone was standing on their feet, smiles on their faces.

"Bravo!" Esme and Carlisle were cheering, proud smiles on their faces. Emmett was standing on his chair, whistling by using his fingers very loudly. Jasper and Alice were also clapping with enthusiasm, their own grins shining brightly. Even Rosalie looked impressed at how well we did.

Edward took a dramatic bow, causing everyone to laugh. He gestured to me, giving me an applause as well. "Take a bow Maggie." My partner smiled, motivating me to bow.

I did dramatically, choosing a curtsy instead. They all stopped clapping and walked over, "Did you really think it was that good?" I asked, wanting the true opinion.

"It was beautiful!" Esme said, giving the both of us a hug, "So beautiful, that I want the two of you to be in charge of the music for the Christmas Eve party!"

Edward just chuckled, "I'm honored to keep my job mom, and happy to have a partner this year as well."

He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "I'm honored too Esme, I just need to practice my classics now."

That caused some laughs, "Can request Frosty the Snowman?" Emmett asked, messing up my hair in a teasing way, "Or Rudolph?"

I nodded, pulling myself away from him to save my poor head, "Only if you sing-a-long to all of them!" I agreed, giving him a wink.

"And you'll need a new outfit for the concert. Both of you do." Alice said, seriousness on her face. "I'm thinking red and green coordination: green for Mag and red for Ed."

"That sounds perfect Alice!" Esme agreed, "I'm just so excited to see the whole concert myself!"

Her husband nodded as well, "You'll both make us very proud, showing your talents off to the whole school."

* * *

My whole body was shaking and I felt like I was going to throw up. Back stage, Edward and I stood in a small corner together in our new clothes. Edward had on a red gingham print dress shirt, a pair of black dress pants and black dress shoes. I was wearing a black turtleneck, a green skirt in gingham print with lace tights and black flats. My hair was pulled into a ballet bun and makeup was minimal.

But, even though I thought I looked very confident in my outfit, I was more worried than ever that this wasn't going to go as planned. First off, I was bummed out that Grandma Eileen couldn't be there to see me play for the first time in the concert. This was part of our Christmas traditions, and she was still gone. Then, I was just worried that I was going to mess up in general. I spent all morning practicing it again and again all by myself to make sure that I would know what keys to press and went to press them. But, it seemed like I would get more and more mixed up the more I practiced and couldn't get through it without one big fumble by the time we had to get ready to leave. So, on top of not perfecting the song before I went back, I had to worry about disappointing the Cullen's and Mr. Simmons because I didn't know how to play it anymore. I just could not calm myself down, and I think Edward could sense it.

"It's going to be fine Maggie." Edward said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Try and take some deep breaths."

Slowly, I filled my lungs with air, and let the air back out just as slowly. "I don't want to disappoint you guys." I confessed, "I could not get it right all morning, and now we have to get out there and play in front of strangers."

He took me into his arms, holding me close, "You're going to be great. Just pretend that we're back in the music room at the upright piano."

I just took another deep breath, letting it out slowly once more. "Alright you two," Mr. Simmons said, causing me to pull out of Edward's embrace and face the older man, "you're on!"

"Yes sir." Edward answered when all I could do is nod as an answer.

He took me by the hand and the two of us walked onto the stage after we were introduced to be playing next. We sat at the familiar upright piano, with me closer to the audience. I kept my hands in my lap, signaling that I wasn't ready yet.

The lights on us were bright, but a smile creeped on my face when I saw the Cullen household in the middle of the crowd: Alice was holding up her phone to record the show, Jasper and Emmett both giving thumbs up to us while Rosalie was trying to pull his hand down, and Esme and Carlisle were waving with bright smiles.

With one more deep breath, I placed my hands on the keys next to Edward's and waited for him to begin.

Just like when we practiced in the music room for all of those weeks, or in the music room alone, Edward and I played the song beautifully. Our hands moved flawlessly over the ivory keys and smiles were on our faces. He seemed more playful this time, chuckling when our hands had to cross over a few times or that he would nudge me with his shoulder when I turned the page quickly. It was the best performance we ever played, and when it ended, the whole room filled with clapping people.

Edward gave me a large grin, "We did it!" I smiled back, "It's over!"

"And now we have to bow to our waiting audience." He informed me, standing up from the bench and offering me his hand.

I took it and let him lead me to the middle of the stage. We both bowed politely a couple of times, letting the audience get their applause out. After the third bow, we left the stage hand in hand and went back to where we were standing before.

We were both greeted by the Cullen/Hale gang, a large and colorful bouquet of flowers in Dr. Cullen's arms. "You both sounded beautiful!" Esme cried, wrapping us both into a tight hug, "I am so proud of you two!"

Dr. Cullen handed me the flowers once his wife let us go, a large smile on his face too, "As am I." He said, taking Esme to his side by wrapping an arm around her waist.

"We all are!" Alice chirped from Jasper's side, "You guys definitely got the loudest applause from everyone."

That made me smile, hiding my face away in the flowers I was given. "I'm proud of you too." A voice said, causing us all to turn around. There stood Mr. Simmons, a single white gardenia in his hand, "Both of you."

I took the flower from him and let him hug me tightly. "Thank you, Mr. Simmons. Thank you for trusting us enough to play for this concert. I know how much it means to you."

He let go, a large smile on his face, "I never doubted either of you. While this concert is extremely important to me, I know how important it is to you and Eileen as well. She would be very proud if she could have heard you play."

A couple of tears fell from my eyes, but my smile remained, "That's just what I needed to hear."


	12. Chapter 12

Robert Simmons POV

It warmed my aging heart to see that little girl look so happy. After handling Miss. Kringle her flower in congratulations, I went to take my seat and watch the family's gathering. A girl I had seen grow up from a timid toddler with big, scared eyes to a shy young lady, finally finding someone to attach herself to. Someone that made her smile like there wasn't a care in the world to her, and that her whole world was right there in that talented young man. The way she held his hand, the way he smiled at her: that was true love.

Memories of Eileen were coming back to me.

When we would be caught playing in my childhood parlor, messing with my father's piano when we were told not to. When we would both have to walk two miles to and from school every day, even in the blistering cold. When Eileen asked for me to stand in her wedding to Thomas, and when I had asked her to be a witness to my wedding with Laura. Sitting on the front porch watching our own children get into as much trouble as we did as children. Being there to comfort each other when we lost our loved ones.

Margaret never looked so much like Eileen than right now, and I did not want that to go away.

"Mr. Cullen," I called, gesturing towards the talented musician of the group, "may I have a word with you, young man?"

I watched Margaret let go of his hand, using both of her hands to hold the flowers close to her chest. Almost like a shield to the world. "Hurry back." Margaret called weakly, giving the young man a wave when he approached me.

Mr. Cullen stopped in front of me, watching me carefully as I stood slowly, minding my weak knees. "Mr. Simmons, is something wrong?"

"Not at all." I responded, "I just thought I would tell you that I have never seen that little girl as happy as she is with you and your family."

He affirmed with a smile on his face, "You just promise me something Edward Cullen." I began, "You promise me that you'll take care of her. She's a special one, and you are one lucky man to have her in your life."

"I promise sir." Edward stated firmly, "I would do nothing to hurt Margaret, and my family and I plan on taking care of her until further notice."

I sighed, shifting in my seat, "Are you familiar with Mr. Rogers?" I asked, watching him nod in a response, "He has said something that I'd like to share with you: 'Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like  _struggle_. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.' If you love Miss. Kringle, promise me you will only help her to better herself."

"With all of my being sir." Edward answered, just as firm as earlier.

I stuck my hand out to shake his, satisfied with his answer, "That's all I ask for young man." He shook mine back, "I just want her to be as happy as her grandmother would want her."

* * *

Maggie POV

There were only five days left until Christmas and I found myself a little flustered. Esme broke the news that all of their extended family was coming to the house for the rest of the year for the holidays. And by all of their extended family, that meant at least a dozen or so people. I had a hard-enough time adjusting to living with the Cullen/Hale family. And now, I had to meet more of their family members. I was worried that I wouldn't do the Cullen family justice during the holiday season.

I had zero clue what they had told anyone about me, and if I didn't meet what they thought they were getting themselves into, I thought I could ruin Christmas.

But at the moment, I was busy cleaning the guest room so that one of the guests could stay in here while they were staying for the holidays. I normally had the room pretty clean for the most part, it was just making sure that everything was tidy and in order. Carlisle and Esme said that I could stay with them in their room, and I was gathering all of animals and throw blankets so that I could make myself a comfortable make-shift bed on their floor for the next couple of days. I also made sure to grab my box of memories, just to make sure that nothing would happen to it.

There was a knock on the door, causing me to look at my full arms and become a little flustered on what to do. "Come in!" I called, not wanting to drop all of my animal friends.

It was Edward - big shock. "Moving out?" He laughed, taking Pebbles off the top of the pile.

"Kind of." I laughed, moving past him to bring the last of my things into the doctor's room, "I'm sleeping in your parents' room while your family is coming." I knelt down on my little bed that I had created and placed all of the stuffed toys in their proper places.

He followed behind me, handing me the penguin when I turned around, "And you needed  _all_  of your friends?"

My eyes widened, "Of course I do!" I said, standing up and placing my hands on my hips, a playful tone in my voice, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten, Edward!"

Again, Edward laughed at me, "You don't even have one from that movie Maggie!"

I threw my hands up in frustration, moving past him. "Well, maybe that's a hint for something!"

"Dropping Christmas ideas?" He asked, closing the bedroom's door behind us.

I shrugged, "Maybe…or maybe not…" I said, offering my hand for him to take.

Edward took it with a playful smile on his face. "Well, I was coming to ask you if you'd come and join me to find presents for mom and dad with me."

My face grew into a grin, swinging our arms, "I'd love too! I should probably find something for Carlisle and Esme too."

"Alice was going to tag along too," He added, leading us to the front door so we could grab our winter coats. Edward handed my heavy black coat, along with yellow mittens and scarf, then grabbed his own, "if that's alright." I took my purse as well, placing it on my shoulder.

I nodded my head, "Of course it is!" I smiled, "The more, the merrier right?"

As if she knew we were talking about her, the tiny Cullen girl appeared from the kitchen with her coat on and purse over her shoulder. "There you guys are! Are we ready to go?"

"Yep!" I smiled, taking Edward's hand after I put my mittens on, "I'm all bundled up and ready to shop!"

Alice smiled wide, taking my empty hand. She pulled us toward her car, "Hop in front Maggie!" Alice chirped, getting into the driver's seat.

Edward climbed in the back, a tiny pout on his face. After making sure we were all buckled in, Alice pulled out of the driveway and onto the road, "Are you also looking for something for mom and dad Maggie?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I am." I confessed, "And I'm stuck on what to get them, if I'm being honest."

"We'll find something." Edward comforted, placing a hand on my shoulder from the back seat.

My face formed a smile and I reached up to place my own hand on top of his.

The drive was nothing special; Alice decided to blast the Christmas station the whole drive, which seemed to bug Edward, but I sang-a-long with the chipper driver the whole time.

The shopping mall was packed, but Alice found a spot in the back of the lot. Alice took my arm before Edward could, leading us quickly into the indoor shopping center. "So, do you have any where you have to stop Maggie?" She asked, waiting for Edward to open the door for us.

I shook my head, "I have no idea what to do." Frowning, my arm unhooked itself from Alice and I gripped the purse with my hands, "What are you guys doing?"

"A vase for mom." Edward said, "Emmett and I got into a fight a couple months ago, broke it and she still talks about the vase." He explained, "And a Grey's Anatomy DVD set for dad. It's a joke."

His short sister rolled her eyes at him. "I'm getting mom new watercolor paints with brushes and Jasper picked dad up a new bookshelf for his study." Alice said, pulling up a picture on her phone to show me.

I sighed, "I just feel like I don't know them too well, so I don't know what to do!"

"What would you get your grandma for Christmas?" Alice asked.

Grandma and I only exchanged one gift from each other every year, and mine were usually homemade. Last year, I bought her a porcelain doll – a replica of one that she had when she was a little girl. "Something kind of cheesy." I admitted, "It was a collector's item for her doll collection. And the year before, I got her some earrings."

The Cullen siblings exchanged looks very quickly, almost like they were thinking about if they were thinking the same things. "Esme always likes jewelry." Alice commented, "And Carlisle can be a good sport when it comes to something cheesy or funny." Those were some good idea, even though I still didn't know exactly  _what_  kind of funny gift or jewelry I would get.

"Those are good ideas." Edward agreed, "We could help you pick them out if you want to."

I shook my head, "No thanks. You guys have your own shopping to get done." I explained, "Just meet back here when you're done?" I offered, looking at the time on my phone.

"I should only be an hour at most!" Alice smiled, giving me a hug before she made her way into the mall.

Edward kissed my cheek goodbye, "Feel free to text if you have any questions Maggie. I should be fast."

"No rush Edward." I smiled, "I'll see you soon!" I waved goodbye, watching him follow after his sister into the loud mall.

With a deep breath, and a determined look on my face, I headed over to the men's section of the department store to find something. This section of the store wasn't as busy as the women's, thankfully. I weaved in and out of the racks, touching the soft materials and not finding anything that I could see Carlisle wearing.

That is, until I wound up around the ties section. It dawned on me that Dr. Cullen wore a tie every single day he went to the hospital, so I knew that I was on the right path with that. I must have looked a little lost because a stout looking sales man approached me with a large smile on his pudgy face. "Need help finding anything?"

"I'm looking for a tie for a doctor." I explained, "He wears one every day to work, so I figure that I can't go wrong with that."

The man moved past me politely, looking through the displays of colorful ties, "Does he usually wear neckties or bowties?"

"The normal kind." I said, "And they're not crazy colors either." After a couple of minutes, the salesman was pulling a couple of ties and laying them over his arm to hold them all.

Again, he moved past me and laid them out on the counter. Reds, blues, greens, yellows: there were so many different kinds that I was even more lost at what to pick out for the kind doctor. "You could always go for something practical." He explained, motioning to a navy-blue tie with white polka-dots covering it, "Or something that would stand out more, but not draw too much attention." This time, he motioned to a grass-green tie with purple stripes, "Or maybe something more out there." It was a blue bowtie with different medical instruments as the pattern.

That's when I remembered Alice said that Carlisle could take a joke when it came to his gifts. Plus, it was technically a tie so I could claim it was something he would wear every day. "How much is the bowtie?" I asked, taking the funny tie off the counter.

"That would be thirty dollars." The salesman answered, "I assume it will be cash?"

I nodded, handing back the bowtie so he could ring it up. The salesman took my cash, typed quickly into the register, placed the tie nicely into a small shopping bag, and handed my receipt and purchase over, "Thank you for your help today sir." I smiled, taking the white bag.

He smiled, "Happy to help. And have a happy holiday!" I smiled back, walking from the counter and to an escalator.

Finding the bowtie so quickly was giving me faith that I would find the perfect gift for Esme just as quickly. Remembering that Alice said her mom would never turn down jewelry, I made my way, yet again, to a jewelry counter to find something worthy enough for Esme.

It was much busier today than the other day with crazy looking men stressing over expensive looking diamonds with the salespeople. Somehow, I managed to squeeze my way to the counter and look at all of the displays behind the glass. So many shiny diamond and gems were shining back, I felt like I could be blinded if the light reflected off of one of them in a certain way.

"Can I help you, young lady?" Someone asked, causing me to look up quickly.

A bored looking man was behind the counter, looking me up and down, "I'm looking for a Christmas present." I explained.

He gave me a scrutinizing look, "Are you sure you can afford any of this?" The man asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Do you have anything for fifty dollars?" I asked, folding my arms as well. I wasn't going to let this employee scare me away from my mission.

The uninterested salesman sighed, moving down the jewelry counter without warning. I pushed through a couple of people to catch up to him, stopping in front of the case. He was pulling out a couple of items from inside, placing them on top so that he could show them off properly. "This three-ring set is forty-five, these bangles are ten each, those pearl earrings are sixty." He rambled off, sounding more impassive than before.

"Is there anything you would get a mom?" I asked, not thinking that these would be right for Esme. Yeah, she wasn't  _my_  mom, but she  _was_  a mom for five other people.

After a deep sigh, the salesperson put the jewelry that was on top of the case back inside and pulled out a silver bracelet. "It's a charm bracelet. The chain is ten and each charm is five dollars." He said, pulling out a box that had a lot of tiny charms to add on.

My eyes lit up, looking over the tiny shapes. "It's perfect!" I said, "Are these all the charms?" I asked, already mentally looking at the different ones I could see.

"Yeah." He answered, "Just bring over the ones you want and someone will ring them up for you." And with that, he was gone.

When I was sure he wasn't going to pop up and give me a glare or disappointed look, I opened the box and went to work. After about ten minutes, I finally picked out the perfect ones. Each of them stood for each of her kids: a music note, a bear, an anchor, a ballet shoe, and an open book. The one I had a hard time deciding one was the final charm: a sunflower. But I figured that if anything, it would be pretty. I took the bracelet and charms to the register and let a just as uninterested saleswoman ring up Esme's present. She handed the bag over, after a quick "happy holidays", and I was off to our meeting spot with both missions a success.

Neither of the Cullen siblings were there yet, so I sat down on a metal bench I found nearby. I was feeling on top of the world with my successful trip, confident that I at least made a really good try with both of their presents.

After messing on my phone for a little bit - answering Esme's question about if I wore my scarf, responding back to Jasper about the latest chapter in  _Little House on the Prairie_ , and finding a good meme to send back to Emmet - Alice arrived with her hands full of bags. "I thought you had to get paints?" I asked with a laugh.

"I found some good deals!" She explained, sitting down with a huff next to me, "Did you find what you were looking for?" Alice asked, trying to look inside the small bags.

I pulled them closer, making sure you couldn't see what was inside, "Yes I did. And presents are secret, Alice!"

She just laughed, "Well, I guess I'm not sharing what I got then!" We both ended up laughing at each other's teasing, knowing fully that if either of us asked we would share what we bought.

"How am  _I_  the last one here?" A familiar voice questioned, coming up to the bench.

Edward had two large bags in his left hand, and a red plastic bag with a familiar logo on the front in his right. "We're more skilled shoppers than you I guess." His sister teased.

I just giggled, watching him roll his eyes at her. "You want to trade bags?" He asked, holding out the red bag to me.

"Is this a trap?" I asked, wearily looking at him.

He shook his head, "If you don't want to look at your gift now, I guess I can save it to give you with your other present for Christmas."

Alice's eyes widened, a grin on her face. "Take the gift Maggie!" she cried, standing up quickly and trying to sneak a peek.

I laughed at her, getting off the bench myself. "Alright, I'll make the trade."

"But you have to open it now." Edward clarified, trading the one large bag for my two tiny ones, "That's part of it."

I just shook my head, taking the gift and noticing that whatever it was in there, it was plush. Shutting my eyes, I took the soft item out of the bag and held it in my arms, "Why are you closing your eyes!?" Alice laughed.

"I'm scared!" I cried, a laugh bubbling out as well. After a moment, I cracked one eye open and looked down at what Edward found for me. It was a fury, blue alien that we had talked about early today in a sitting position and smile on his face, "Is this Stitch?!" I smiled, feeling blush form on my face.

Alice was laughing so hard, and Edward was trying to keep his own to himself, "It appears so, doesn't it?"

I shook my head, really confused as to why he bought this toy for me. "Why'd you get this?"

"Well, you hinted to it earlier." He clarified, "So, why not?"

With Stitch tucked under my arm, I wrapped the other around him and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. "You're too sweet Edward. I love him."

The Cullen sister was 'awing' nearby, "That's so sweet you guys!" She cooed, "I love it!" She wrapped the two of us into a group hug, laughing quietly, "But we really need to get going if we're want to doge the traffic."

* * *

I held Stitch in my arms the whole ride back, letting Edward sit shotgun this time. My heart was feeling so full now, even though it was just another stuffed animal to add to the pile. However, my heart did sink a little when we arrived at the house and saw all of the new cars in the yard. "They're here already?" I whispered, eyes not looking away from the cars.

"They must be early." Alice clarified, a smile on her face, "I'm so excited! First the little gift for Maggie, and now the fam is here!" She jumped out of the car and went to grab her bags from the trunk in a hurry, "This has been such a great day!"

My door was opened and Edward offered his free hand for me to take, "Don't worry Maggie." He gave me a small smile and squeeze of my hand, "We can say hello and bring our things upstairs." Edward reassured.

I just nodded, letting him lead me into the house. Before we even made it up the stairs, I could hear a lot of loud voices come from inside. Edward gave another squeeze to my hand as Alice opened the door. And just like that, it was almost like that was a switch because the noise stopped.

We walked in and I tried not to look at all of the observing eyes. I felt Edward let go of my hand, which didn't help my nerves, and I clutched the toy a little closer. "Welcome back you three." Dr. Cullen said, coming to the door with a grin on his face, "How was your trip?"

"A success!" Alice chirped, holding up all her bags, "But I see we missed the welcome party." She pouted, causing a couple people to laugh. Jasper made his way through what seemed like a sea of people to take some bags from his girlfriend.

Edward nodded in agreement, holding up our bags as well. "That's great to hear." Dr. Cullen said, "Before you put your things away, I'd like to introduce you to everyone Margaret." He said, placing a hand on my shoulder and leading me to the large group in the family room.

"Everyone," The doctor began, causing another hush to fall in the room, "I would like you all to finally meet Margaret Kringle." Various other greetings were said, some sounding more enthusiastic than others.

People were occupying the furniture, all of them just a beautiful looking as the Cullen/Hale family. The doctor started with the people who were sitting on the couch, Esme standing nearby and talking with them, "This is my friend from childhood, Alistair." He gestured to a long haired, blonde man at the end of the couch, "and his family Charles and Makenna." There was another dark blonde man and he was holding hands with a raven-haired woman.

"Pleasure to meet you." Alistair said, not getting up from his spot on the couch. The couple waved at me, giving small smiles to me.

I just gave them a smile in return and Carlisle continued with his introductions. "And this is Vladimir and Stefan." The first man was paper white pale and had ashy blonde hair to complement. The other man was just as pale, but had dark brown hair. Both of them were on the love seat.

Vladimir stood and it seemed like he bowed to me, "It is wonderful to meet you." He said, taking his seat next to Stefan.

Again, I just smiled to them, becoming more flustered with the new names and faces I needed to memorize. Carlisle moved on, gesturing to the people who stood by Jasper and Alice. "This is Peter," Dr. Cullen motioned to a brunette boy with short hair who was standing next to the blonde twin, "and this is his girlfriend Charlotte." He motioned to the short, blond pixie cut girl next to Peter.

Peter and Charlotte both waved, reminding me a lot of Jasper and Alice but much quieter. "And their cousins Mary and Randall." Mary was an African-American girl with curly light brown hair and Randall had dark red hair with a goatee on his pale face. They also just waved with smiles on their faces.

"And last, but not least," Carlisle said, motioning to the largest group, "the Denali cousins." Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward were all mingling with these people.

There were two girls who looked like they could be twins, both blonde and tall but one had curly hair while the other had super straight hair. The curly-haired girl seemed to be giving me a similar look to what Rosalie usually gave me: judgmental. Rosalie and Emmett were talking with her. Then, there was a woman who had deep brown hair and a man with short raven hair, who were standing in a side embrace. Finally, the last man had shaggy brunette hair and was holding hands with the straight hair girl, both in a conversation with Edward.

The dark-haired couple stepped forward, "It is so nice to meet you." The man said, "I am Eleazar, and this is my gorgeous wife Carmen." He gestured to the woman he stood with, "and these are our children Tanya, Kate, and Garrett." Eleazar pointed to the curly haired daughter when he said Tanya, which left the other blonde as Kate.

"Absolutely delighted to finally meet you." Carmen smiled, "Emmett has told us so much about you."

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say in response. "Why not you bring your purchases upstairs Margaret?" Carlisle suggested.

Before I could turn and leave quickly, Edward spoke up, "I'll join you Maggie." He offered, moving past the Tanya girl quickly to grab my hand. I felt much better when I knew he would be with me.

He led me up the stairs, grabbing our bags before we left. "Are you alright?" He whispered once we got to his parents' room so I could hide the gifts under the bed.

I flopped down on the floor where I made up the bed on the ground, holding Stitch close. "I don't know." I sighed, "That was a lot of people I just had to meet." I confessed, squeezing my eyes shut tights, "And they're so beautiful."

"You're beautiful too." Edward said. I could hear his footsteps coming closer, "And I'm sure they know you're a little nervous too, so they understand that you might not be your bubbly-self right now." He explained.

Slowly, I cracked one eye open. He was sitting on the ground across from me. "You think so?" I sat up, looking at him in the eyes.

He nodded, opening his arms up so that I could crawl into his embrace. And I did just that, very quickly wrapping my arms around him. "And who cares if they don't? We all know that you're great, and they'll see it soon too." That made me feel much better, and braver.

With that bravery came an unexpected move from me: a kiss on the lips for Edward. He must have been shocked too, but he didn't pull away. My heart was pounding in my chest as soon as I felt his arms move to my waist, but I didn't move away right away. After another moment, I finally pulled away and could feel my blush so much that my ears were warm.

"I'm so sorry Edward." I whispered, burying my head into his shoulder to hide from his eyes.

He just laughed, pulling me closer and standing up with me in his arms, "Don't be sorry." Edward said, "I do enjoy kisses, you know. Especially when they're from you." That just made me even more flustered and that reaction made him laugh even more, "Come on, they're probably expecting us back downstairs to help decorate."

I pulled myself from his shoulder and finally looked at him in the eye, "Will you stay with me?" I asked timidly, hoping to hear a good answer.

"I won't leave you until you get warmed up to everyone." Edward affirmed, offering his hand to me. I took it and let him lead me out of the room and back down stairs.

That's when I noticed all of the boxes in the middle of the room, and a tree being set up in the corner of the room, "We weren't gone that long, were we?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in confusion. There was no way those boxes could be brought up quickly.

"We were about to send out a search party for you two!" Emmett called from his spot on the couch. He seemed to be untangling garland with Rosalie and the Denali children, "But I was worried somethin' else was goin' on, if you catch my drift." The boy winked, causing me to groan in embarrassment.

It seemed like some other people thought he was funny because some laughs were heard in the room. "Leave them be Emmett Cullen." Esme said, pulling out some snow globes from a box carefully, "You two are working on the tree with Jasper, Alice, Peter and Charlotte." She explained, gesturing to the crowd at the tree.

Edward led me over to the tree, both of us looking over the small progress that was happening. Jasper and Peter were stringing up the lights at the top of the tree while Alice and Charlotte were pulling out delicate looking ornaments from boxes. "Hey you two!" the cheery Cullen sister smiled, "Here to help with the tree?" She asked.

"Ready to try." I said, looking at all the colorful glass shapes that they were laying on the table.

Alice stood from where she was kneeling on the ground, "Edward, you help the boys with the lights. Maggie can help Charlotte and I with organizing the pretty things." She took my hand, waiting for Edward to let go of my other one before leading me to where they were sorting through the decorations for the tree.

Charlotte looked a little tense when I sat down, and I thought it was just because I didn't properly introduce myself to her, "I'm Margaret." I said quietly, glancing up from the table, "But most people call me Maggie."

"Charlotte." She gave me a small smile, pulling a circle ornament from the box.

It fell quiet again and I watched the two pull different fragile ornaments out of the box while talking to each other. While I didn't feel excluded, I didn't really feel like I belonged either. I took one ornament out of the box, one that looked like a nutcracker, and held it in my hands. "We're ready for some ornaments ladies." Someone said from the tree.

Peter and Jasper were standing and observing their handy work while Edward plugged the lights into the wall. It lit up instantly, the white lights sparkling against the green on the trees. "It's beautiful." I said to myself, standing from my spot on the floor to get another look.

"Why thank you darlin'." Jasper teased, sending a wink my way, "I'd like to think we did a stand-up job. Don't you agree Peter?"

The man next to Jasper nodded in agreement, "I do Jazz." He said, and I caught his Southern drawl, similar to Jasper's that would come out every so often.

Peter seemed less tense looking that his girlfriend, but more than Jasper usually looked. "Do you have something to hang?" the twin asked, pointing to what was in my hands.

"A nutcracker." I smiled, handing it to him. Jasper's friend smiled and we watched him hang it up high on the slowly spinning tree. Edward had finished his job with the lights and went off towards the kitchen, "How do you know Jasper?" I asked, attempting to break the ice with Peter.

Jasper gave his friend a knowing look, almost like there was some kind of joke I was missing out on. "We've known each other forever." Peter answered, taking an ornament of his own off the table. The girls had gotten up and began to place their own decorations on the tree, "That kid and I would get into all kinds of trouble together when we were younger."

That made the blonde twin laugh, "You still get yourself into trouble Peter." Jasper said, exposing his friend.

Everyone around the tree chuckled, including myself. "Jasper's like a brother to me. We're can be much more trouble than we're worth sometimes." Peter admitted, shrugging.

"Jasper's a good brother." I confessed, seeing his eyes widened after the words lead my mouth, "I can see what you're talking about."

Alice made an 'aw' sound and came to wrap me in a hug, "Maggie, stop trying to melt my heart! You keep out doing yourself today!"

I laughed, "Sorry, I can't help it Alice!"

After that, everyone seemed to loosen up a little and we all could hang the ornaments on the tree without awkward tensions in the air. Around us, everyone else seemed to be assigned their own decoration tasks, and Edward looked busy wrapping the banister in the garland with Emmett and Garrett. I smiled, watching him seeming to enjoy himself with his family. Carlisle and Esme were working on a Nativity scene in the window with Eleazar and Carmen. Mary, Randall, Vladimir, and Stefan were outside working on the lights around the porch. Alistair, Charles, and Makenna were outside too, working on the tree in the front yard. Rosalie, Tanya, and Kate were untangling the garland and bringing it up to the boys on the stairs while sending looks my way here and there.

Finally, the tree was finished once I placed the star on top. At that moment, it seemed like everyone else was finished too and gathering in the family room where we stood by the tree. "You all did a wonderful job!" Esme beamed, looking over our hard work.

I smiled, almost letting a yawn escape but covering my mouth quickly. "It's so much better than my tree with Grandma Eileen." I said, feeling my eyes growing tired. My face warmed when I heard some chuckles around the room.

"You had a long day Margaret." Dr. Cullen said, coming to my left side, "Why don't you head up and get ready for bed?"

Another yawn escaped, "But, I'm not that tired Carlisle." I said, not helping my case with another yawn.

He just shook his head, "I would rather you rest up tonight so you are strong enough to be with us all tomorrow when we have more activities planned." His doctor voice was showing when Carlisle explained.

I sighed in defeat, "Alright, you win doc." I winked, causing him and Esme to laugh. Esme was leading me toward the stairs, with Carlisle right behind us. But, I had to stop and say goodnight to everyone before we got there, "Um…goodnight everyone. It was nice to meet you all."

People waved or said goodnight themselves, seeing me on my way up. Edward was at the stairs and made sure to give me a hug when I got there. "Sleep well Maggie." He said quietly, placing a kiss on my lips quickly.

Dead silence filled the room as soon as we touched lips, and I quickly became uncomfortable. "Wow, little Eddie is doin' some PDA!" Emmett laughed from his place next to his girlfriend.

"I can kiss my girlfriend good night if I want to Emmett, especially if everyone else can." He said in response, "Leave Maggie out of the teasing."

Girlfriend.

He just said girlfriend.

Edward Anthony Cullen just labeled us, in front of his family, and I was his girlfriend.

If I thought my heart was beating fast early, it was going to leap out of my body now.


	13. Chapter 13

Esme POV

Carlisle and I were just as shocked as Margret looked when Edward referred to the human as his girlfriend. I knew we could all hear her heart pounding in her chest, and that was part of the reason why Emmett and Jasper were cracking up.

After my husband gave the boys a warning look, we led the flustered human up into our room in the hopes that she would soon calm down enough to rest for the night. Carlisle and I were waiting for her to return from brushing her teeth, sitting on the bed. "Does she think she's sleeping on the floor?" I whispered, gesturing to the blankets and pillow on the floor next to the bed.

"We  _are_  supposed to be sleeping here too dear." He whispered back, "We would also need somewhere to sleep." That's right. Margaret would assume all of us would be sleeping tonight, and that meant my husband and I would have to 'sleep' here at some point.

The door opened quietly and Margaret walked in clad in her flannel pajamas. "How is your scar recovering?" Carlisle asked as we watched the human pull back a blanket so she could make herself comfortable underneath.

She shrugged, "It's not super red anymore." Margaret answered, "And the stitches started to fade too."

"We'll keep an eye on it." His doctor voice was showing, but a gentle smile was on his face.

My husband and I knelt down next to the human girl, and helped to tuck her in. I handed her the penguin while Carlisle tucked the heavy blanket around her body. "Don't forget Stitch." She whispered, motioning to the blue creature close to her feet.

I heard the doctor chuckle, but he handed it to her anyways. "Are you comfortable dear?" I asked once she cuddled the animal in her arms along with the worn looking penguin.

"Yes." Margaret yawned, "I'm comfy." She smiled, and I knew we both noticed her eyes growing heavy. We both placed gentle kisses on her forehead, noticing the small smile on her face.

Carlisle stood, offering a hand to help me up. "We'll be up shortly Margaret. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite!" The little girl laughed, turning on her side once I turned the lights off.

We left the room, pulling the door closed quietly behind us. After we were both sure Margaret was drifting off to sleep, I linked arms with my husband and we made our way down to meet the rest of the family and our guests.

It still seemed like the boys were giving Edward a hard time, Peter and Garrett joining in with teasing him.

"Will you boys leave him alone?" I begged, shaking my head at the boys.

Emmett ruffled the pianist's hair, standing up from their spot on the couch, "Did you  _see_  Maggie's face!?" He laughed, holding his sides, "Or hear her heart pounding?"

The other boys were still laughing too. "I thought she was going to faint!" Garrett said, taking Kate's hand to help her stand from the couch.

I noticed that Tanya was looking very annoyed over the conversation, sitting with Rosalie on the love seat. "I thought it was sweet Edward." Charlotte smiled, standing up with Jasper, Peter, and Alice, "She's love-struck for you, isn't she?"

"Was she alright?" Edward asked, ignoring everyone else and coming to stand next to us.

Carlisle smiled, clapping him on the shoulder, "Margaret is exhausted, son. She should sleep peacefully through the night." He reassured. I noticed that Alice confirmed this thought, tapping the side of her head and sending a wink their way.

More conversations filled the room as we watched the others begin to stand and put on their jackets. "She's better than that Isabella girl." I heard Mary muttered, and I noticed a couple of our guests nod in agreement.

"We are all on our way to go hunt." Carmen smiled, letting her husband put on her coat for her, "Will you two be joining us?"

Carlisle and I exchanged looks. It was tradition to spend the first night hunting with each everyone, vegetarians with vegetarians and non-vegetarians with non-vegetarians. "Go on mio amore." I smiled to my husband, "You have to be at the hospital tomorrow and need to be in tip-top shape." Placing a kiss on his nose, I led him to the coat rack.

My husband found his heavy jacket, "I won't be long dear. Then you can join the others." We exchanged a kiss, which had Emmett making identical teasing noises from when Edward and Margaret exchanged their own kiss.

I followed everyone out onto the porch and watched them all head out into the forest. While I wished I could join my good friends with this tradition, I also had a new responsibility now. And she was asleep in our room.

With one last look to make sure that everyone was on their way, I turned back inside and made myself busy in the kitchen. There was only one person in the house who could actually eat, so the kitchen was a great place to hide presents from the others. And now was the perfect time to start wrapping them.

* * *

Maggie POV

I woke up early the next morning so that I could join Carlisle at the hospital all day. With four days until Christmas, I wanted to make sure I was there with Grandma Eileen as much as I could be.

Surprisingly, Esme was the only other person I found awake when I came down clad in my outfit of the day: a yellow sweater with leggings and brown boots. She had a bowl of cereal ready to be poured and a packed lunch sitting on the counter. Breakfast was quiet; Dr. Cullen was going through the mail in his hands and Esme was hand washing some dishes. After I was finished washing my own dish, Carlisle and I were at the front door putting our coats on when footsteps were heard coming down stairs.

"We're going early?" Edward asked, already dressed for the day.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes in a teasing fashion. "Don't you ever sleep in?" I joked, wrapping my scarf around me tightly, "And yes, Carlisle and I are going early."

He looked confused, "Am I not welcomed?" Edward asked. Dr. Cullen must have gone to start his car because before I could look for backup, he was gone.

"No, that's not it!" I explained quickly, holding up my hands in defense, "I just thought you'd want to be with your family today. It's their first day here, I don't want you stuck with me all day." My face was serious, and I was studying his expression to make sure I didn't hurt his feelings.

After a moment, Edward didn't seem mad or upset with my idea, and gave me a small smile. "And you're sure you'll be alright?" He asked, handing me my back pack off the ground.

I nodded, "Of course I will." My arms found their way around his waist as I gave him a hug, "I want you to enjoy your holiday with your family Edward. And I'll be back soon." I promised, giving him a small squeeze.

Edward returned the embrace just as tightly, leaning his head on top of my, "If you get bored or just want to come back, give me a call." He said, pulling away to look me in the eye.

"Yes sir, Edward Cullen, sir." I smiled, reaching up to place a kiss on his cheek, "Don't miss me too much!" I suggested, opening the door to walk outside.

It was very brisk outside, but no snow to be seen yet. Carlisle was waiting for me in the car, already warmed up to the perfect temperature for this time of year. When we arrived at the hospital, Dr. Cullen let me put my jacket in his office then walked me to Grandma's room, telling me he'd join me for lunch later.

The minute he left, I got to work right away on the decorations. Last night when the Cullen adults left their room, I was busy on my phone looking up ideas on homemade Christmas decorations that I could easily do in the tiny room. There were lots of snowflake patterns that I wanted to do, along with chain garland that I started last night. Christmas was going to be different for both of us, but I wanted to make sure her room was just as festive as our house would usually bed. It was almost two hours straight of cutting paper and taping them up to the wall, but I was impressed with the project once I was finished.

Mr. Simmons was impressed too when he came to visit around ten. The old family friend had a wrapped gift in his arms, saying that it was for me. When I unwrapped it, I saw that it was a whole packet of blank music sheets. He mentioned something about Edward and I being able to write our own songs now. I didn't think I'd get super emotional, but while I was hugging the music teacher, a couple tears slipped out and ran down my cheeks.

Just as soon as he came, Mr. Simmons had left. He was a busy man in the community, so he probably had twenty other places that he needed to get to before noon. But I wasn't alone too long because Dr. Cullen joined me for lunch. Esme had packed me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and Carlisle said he was has having a protein shake, but he didn't really sip at the cup much. During lunch, I had asked him if he would remind me of a couple of names of the people staying because I was still a little lost. I also asked if he would bring me to my home before we went back to the Cullen house so I could grab a present. Lunch was nice, just the two of us getting to spend some time together. We usually didn't spend a lot of time together, and it was weird to bond with a coma patient between us, but I really enjoyed being with Carlisle for a little while.

The rest of the visiting hours was spent with me reading Charles Dickens'  _Christmas Carol_  to Grandma Eileen. It was part of our tradition to watch different versions of the famous story, but we couldn't really do that this year. But, I thought that reading the story would be the next best thing to keeping the tradition alive.

Once Carlisle was done for the day, he came in with our jackets in his arms and a sad smile on his face, telling me that it was six and time to head out. Placing a gentle kiss on Grandma Eileen's forehead, I grabbed my bag and made sure to bundle up warmly.

We pulled into my neighborhood when Dr. Cullen finally asked what gift I had at home that I needed to get, "What's up with you Cullen's not understanding that gifts are supposed to be a secret?" I joked, unbuckling my seatbelt when we made it.

I told him that I would be fast, and that he could wait in the car for me. After unlocking the front door, I went into the freezing cold house and made my way into my grandma's room. Sitting on her dresser was her small jewelry box, one that I used to rummage through when I was a little girl to play with the precious pieces of jewelry she owned. Opening it carefully, the first thing that I noticed was her wedding ring right on top. It was a simple, two carat diamond ring that sparkled brightly in the sunlight. But, that wasn't what I was looking for. After lifting some bracelets out of the box, and moving a large necklace out of the way, I found the red box. Inside were the cufflinks: round, gold, and tiny. But they meant a lot to me.

After carefully putting the jewelry back the way it was originally, I tucked the box into my pocket and made sure that nothing was out of place inside my house before I locked the door behind me.

**0**

When Carlisle and I got back around seven, we were the only people home, and I took that time to wrap the gifts I bought. Dr. Cullen shared some gold wrapping paper with me, warning me to be careful with the scissors, before I ran off to his room in order to quickly get the job done. I wasn't the best present wrapper, but I didn't think the job was too shabby if I was being honest with myself. The boxes were all very small, and I used a black pen I found in the bottom of my bag to write who they were for on the paper. With a last thought, I decided to hide them away underneath the bed, next to my shoe box.

A smile grew on my face when I left the room and still heard silence in the house, not even Carlisle in his office could be heard. I stepped lightly down the hall, knocking on the closed door to the doctor's study before entering.

Carlisle was sitting behind his desk, a book opened on the top, "Margaret, what brings you here?" he smiled, motioning me in.

"Do you have some paper I could use?" I asked, looking at all of the books that were on the ground. He seemed to have too many books and not enough places to keep them all.

Dr. Cullen nodded, opening a drawer and handing me a couple of pieces, "Anything else?" He asked, pulling out a case of colorful pens, "Do you need something to write with?"

I nodded, taking the paper and pens that he handed me, "Thank you so much Carlisle." I smiled, holding the material close to me.

"Is this another gift that is supposed to be kept secret?" He laughed, closing his book to give me his full attention.

I bit my lip, becoming a little embarrassed, "It's not…It's a letter for Santa." I explained quietly, looking down.

While I thought he was going to laugh, he just stood from his desk to come closer, "Ah, a letter for Saint Nicolas? That's a wonderful idea." Carlisle smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, "Hopefully it's not too late." He winked, giving me a side hug carefully.

"Thanks again Carlisle." I smiled, grateful he didn't make fun of me, even though I knew he wouldn't. I turned to wrap my warm around him properly, laying my head on his chest. Dr. Cullen adjusted his hold on me as well, the two of us standing for a moment in each other's embrace.

With another squeeze, he let go and went to sit behind his desk once again. I took the papers and pens with me into the kitchen, spread out on the table. I was thankful that no one was here, and that only Carlisle knew I was writing this letter. This was another part of my Christmas tradition. While I knew that Santa wasn't a real person, Grandma Eileen always had me write a letter. The holidays were not all fun for us, but she wanted to keep that part of Christmas magic alive for me, and I didn't feel right not writing one this year.

About fifteen minutes passes, and a couple crumbled up pieces of paper were in a pile next to me because I changed my mind on how to write my letter, when I heard the front door open. Before I could ponder who it was and where they were going they walked into the kitchen.

Edward was first, followed by his brothers and sisters along with the Denali cousins. A smile grew on my face, forgetting the project in front of me, "Edward!" I grinned, getting up quickly from my chair.

I almost slipped and fell on my face because my socks on the wood floor made me slide. Fortunately, he caught me before I could embarrass myself. "Slow down there Maggie." He laughed, holding me in his arms, "There's no rush." Edward pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me tightly, "I've missed you." He whispered into my hair, squeezing me tight.

"I missed you too." I smiled, pulling back to look at him in the face. Edward looked so happy to see me, which wasn't a change of anything, but it was nice to see that he really did miss me.

"Get a room!" Emmett teased, causing me to groan in embarrassment.

Alice hit his arm, an annoyed look on her face, "Alright, it's getting old Emmet. Leave them alone." She said, not looking too pleased.

I let go of Edward and went back to my spot at the table, remembering quickly about the letter I was writing and tried my best to cover up what was written down. But sadly, I couldn't hide it fast enough because Garrett uncrumpled one of the pieces of paper, "What's going on in here?" He asked, looking over the paper with Kate.

"Nothin…" I muttered, flipping the paper I was working on upside down.

Edward took a seat next to me, grabbing the other balled up paper before I could. "It doesn't look like nothing."

Before I could try and cover it up, I heard some laughing. Rosalie, Kate, and Tanya were looking at the letter Kate's boyfriend uncrumpled. "A letter to Santa?!" Rosalie asked, handing it to her boyfriend so he could look it over, "Aren't you a little too old to be writing letter to Santa?" she laughed.

I looked down, biting my lip and feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. It was bad enough to have Rosalie usually picking on me, but now I had Tanya and Kate to add to it.

"That's so cute!" Alice cooed, coming to look at the note Edward was reading, "You still write to Santa?!"

I nodded, "Yeah." I whispered, "Grandma Eileen still asks me to every year, and I felt weird not writing one." I shrugged, "It's part of our tradition."

I felt an arm rap around me and Edward was moving me so that I could share the chair with him. "That's a great tradition Maggie." He reassured, sending a glare over to the blonde girls, "What are you asking for?" Edward asked, flipping over the note.

I was writing in green and red, feeling festive, "The same thing I've asked for since I was a little girl." A small smile formed on my face as I pictured the present in my mind, "A Samantha doll." I explained, moving so that I could climb into his lap.

"A doll?" Emmett asked, "Aren't you too old for dolls Mag?"

My face didn't form a blush and I shook my head, "It's not that kind of doll." I defended, "Grandma Eileen has a doll collection, and I always wanted to start my own, but we never had enough money for the dolls that I want in my collection." I sighed, setting my note down and finishing it up quickly.

Edward cuddled me close, leaning his head on my shoulder while I wrote my letter. "Well, we came in here to let you know that we're starting our movie night." Alice smiled, "Dad wants us to get our more comfortable clothes on and then come back down to start the movie."

"Alright." I smiled, folding up my letter, "I'll just go put this stuff upstairs and bring come back."

After cleaning up my mess at the table, and watching the others leave the room so that they could change too, I went up to where I was currently sleeping so that I could get my pajamas on. I put my letter underneath my pillow for safe keeping then put on my flannel pajama set and put on my glasses for the night. As a second thought, I grabbed the soft blue blanket from my make-shift bed so that I could snuggle with it during the movie.

I could hear voices coming from downstairs when I was at the top of the large staircase, and needed to take a deep breath before I made the trek down. All of the furniture was already occupied by a lot of people, and it seemed like a couple more chairs were brought in too, but Edward was waving me over to the pile of pillows that he had claimed.

"You look comfortable." Edward commented, shifting a little from his spot on the ground so that we were propped up against the love seat that Carlisle and Esme were sitting on.

"So do you." I smiled, covering us both up with the blanket. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a worn looking blue t-shirt.

He didn't rap an arm around me, but instead held my hand under the privacy that the blanket provided us. I laid my head gently on his shoulder, nuzzling it a little to get comfortable. The lights began to dim in the room, only the Christmas tree providing any light, and I watched the muscular Cullen brother stand from his spot on the couch with Rosalie and the Denali girls. "Ladies and gentlemen," Emmett began, gaining the room's attention, "for your viewing pleasure, tonight's Christmas movie will be a Bill Murray classic:  _Scrooged_!"

Polite applause filled the room as I watched him get the DVD set up. "I don't think I've ever seen this movie." I confessed in a whisper, "What's it about?"

"You've never seen  _Scrooged_?!" Randall asked, sounding like it was a crime against nature.

I shook my head, "Well then," Emmett said, "you're in for a treat!" With that, Emmett clicked the play button on the remote and took his seat next to his girlfriend as the movie began.

At the beginning of the movie, Edward and I stayed just holding hands. But about twenty minutes in, he shifted his body so that I was more cuddled into his side, and my legs were draped over his lap comfortably.

That's when I began to notice all the new attention on me. Jasper and Peter, along with their girlfriends, would lookback at us in a rotation from their spot on the floor. Alistair was on the recliner with Charles and Makenna on two chairs nearby, and they would look over and lean in to whisper among each other, but try and seem subtle. Mary and Randall were sitting with Vladimir and Stefan closest to the television, and just like the others, they were trying to be subtle with their whispers to each other. The worst ones were on the couch. Kate, Rosalie, and Tanya would not stop talking. Not whispering - full out talking to each other. They would all look over with disgust on their face, then make comments to each other. I could pick up a few words here and there, and each one would make me feel more and more uncomfortable. What hurt the most was when one of the blond girls said that I didn't even deserve to be as close as I am with Edward.

Slowly, I untangled myself from Edward's embrace, which drew his attention away from the television and to me, "What's wrong?" He whispered, looking a little concerned.

"I'm gonna go upstairs." I whispered back, taking my blanket back.

Edward sat up, his concerned look growing, "Why? Is everything ok?"

I bit my lip, shaking my head, "I feel like I'm intruding on your traditions with your family." I explained, moving into a kneeling position.

Before I could stand, he grabbed my hands, "You're not intruding on anything." Edward said, shaking his head, "Please stay."

I pulled my hands away and stood up, "I'm tired anyways. You guys enjoy the rest of the movie, I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, I went up to my temporary room to be alone. My eyes felt wet with tears, but I knew that I could just explain it to Edward tomorrow and let him know that it wasn't his fault.

* * *

Edward POV

All I could do was watch Maggie leave, Carlisle's thoughts telling me not to go after her. Esme had a hand on my shoulder for comfort, but I was just confused on why she left in the first place.

"Way to be dramatic." I heard Tanya say. She was sitting next to Rosalie with her arms crossed across her chest, "Humans can be so theatrical." That's when it clicked. Maggie could be more observant than she let on, and must have been paying more attention to everyone's side conversations than we all knew. Noticeably, Rosalie and Tanya scrutinizing her on the couch.

My look in her direction was full on glare, "What do you have against her Tanya?" I asked, anger laced in my voice.

"I just don't see what you see in her?" She answered, "She's so immature, she's doesn't present herself well, and she's a human!"

I stood, placing the pillows that Maggie and I were using in the pile by Jasper. "No one's opinions about what I find attractive with my girlfriend matter except for my own." I growled, looking the three blonde girls in the eye when I said my piece, "I'm sorry we didn't work out Tanya, but now I'm beginning to see I made a great choice."

She huffed, standing up herself and getting close to my face, "No Edward Cullen, yet again, you made a poor choice. That girl is bringing you down." Tanya said, shaking her head, "She's just a naïve little girl who doesn't know what she has. And you're just using her while you could be with a woman who would actually know how to treat you like a man."

There was a hurricane of thoughts going through the room. A lot of them were on my side, but some louder thoughts were siding with the Denali vampire. Before things could escalate further, I left the family room and went up to the music room to sit at my piano. I needed to clear my head, and that wasn't going to be easy with all of these thoughts downstairs.

Margaret was young, but not immature. Margaret was breathtaking, but not vain. Margaret was living, but not immortal. I knew that I had made many mistakes in my past, but right now, I knew that Maggie was not one of them.


	14. Chapter 14

Maggie POV

I slept awful that night. I felt weak, like when I got beat up by Hannah and Ivy. One part of me was glad that I had left because I didn't feel like just sitting there and letting them talk about me like that. Another part of me wished I could've stood up for myself and told them to stop talking about me. I even had a nightmare about getting beat up by someone and no one coming to help me, and I think it was because of last night.

All night I was tossing and turning, just thinking about what they were saying about me. When Carlisle and Esme came in for the night, I pretend to be asleep. The same thing when they woke up at six in the morning. After laying there for another hour, I finally decided I needed to face the facts and just get up.

Quietly, I walked down the back staircase and heard many voices in the kitchen. From my spot on the stairs, I could see Alistair, Eleazar, Carlisle, Stefan, and Vladimir, looking at something on a tablet. All of them were in a conversation in hushed tones.

I could also see many magazine and newspapers covering a good portion of the table. Alice, Charlotte, Kate, Mary, Makenna, Rosalie, and Tanya were all flipping through the pages and cutting out coupons.

Over by the stove I could hear some kind of conversation about sledding taking place. Jasper and Peter were looking at something on Jasper's phone, Emmet and Garrett looked like they were bugging a cooking Edward, and Charles and Randall were observing intently what Edward was mixing in a bowl.

Finally, I noticed a lot of gifts stacked on the kitchen table. They were wrapped so beautifully; red with candy canes, green with snowmen, silver with trees. I could see Esme and Carmen making beautiful bows to place on top.

With a deep breath, trying to muster up as much courage as I could, I slowly went down the stairs. "Should I close my eyes?" I asked playfully, a small yawn escaping from my mouth.

"Margaret!" Esme said, coming over with a large smile on her face. Her kind arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a hug, "You're up early!" She pulled away, placing a kiss on my forehead once she could get a good look at me.

I smiled, "Couldn't sleep." I explained, "Any of those for me?" I asked, pointing to the boxes on the table.

Mrs. Cullen shook her head, "Perhaps…but then again, may be not." I could see that Carmen winked over at me and I had to school my expression in order to not give her away.

Esme finally let go of me, but I was quickly in her husband's embrace. "Good morning Margaret." He smiled, placing a kiss on my cheek, "How are your stitches this morning?" Dr. Cullen asked. His close friends were looking over, kind smiles on their faces.

"I haven't checked yet." I explained honestly, "But it feels fine." I placed my hands on my scar carefully in emphasis.

Carlisle smiled, giving me one more kiss on the cheek before he let me go. I finally made it over to where Edward was cooking something and saw that the musically-gifted boy was attempting to make pancakes. "Edward." I called, causing him to take his eyes off the stove.

He looked a little frantic, but his eyes looked relieved when he met mine. "Maggie." Edward smiled, "You're up early."

I didn't respond, instead, I decided to wrap him in an embrace tightly. "I'm sorry." I whispered.

In an instant, he wrapped his own strong arms round me to give me his own embrace. "Sorry for what?" He asked, making sure to look in my eyes.

"For my behavior last night." I clarified, "Because you wouldn't do that to me. Because you're my boyfriend and that makes us "partners in crime" like Batman and Robin. Only not weird…and I call being Robin." I said quickly, my eyes not leaving his gaze.

Before I knew it, I felt Edward's hands around my waist and found myself in a passionate kiss with the boy I just labeled as my boyfriend. I didn't care that everyone was watching, and it didn't seem like Edward did either. When we did break our kiss, I felt breathless for a brief moment and noticed that my boyfriend had the dopiest look on his face. "You said it." Edward whispered, "You called me your boyfriend."

I nodded eagerly, "About time, huh?" There was a teasing tone in my voice, but his grin didn't fade, he showered the top of my head with kisses. That's when I smelt burning from the stove, "Edward! The food!" I cried, pulling the pan off of the heat and turning on the fan.

"I'm sorry Maggie." He sighed, as I tried to see what I could savage from the pancake, "I guess something was distracting me."

Edward tried not to chuckle, but I could hear his brothers laugh anyways, "More like  _someone_  Eddie boy!" Peter laughed.

With one last look at the unsalvageable breakfast, I decided to make myself eggs instead. "It was really sweet of you to try," I said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "but I'm way too tired to enjoy pancakes today anyways. I can show you just how I like them another morning."

More laughter filled the kitchen, but Edward and I were just in our own little world at the stove while I made scrambled eggs. Without having to ask, I was passed the salt and pepper while he placed a piece of bread in the toaster. The eggs were finished just as the toast was done and I thanked my boyfriend for buttering it for me. "How'd you learn to cook Margaret?" Garrett asked, leaning his elbows on the counter.

"My Grandma Eileen taught me." I said, taking a bite of the eggs. They were a little chewy, but pretty good none the less, "Speaking of grandma, will you join me at the hospital today Edward?" I asked, "I want you to see how I decorated her room yesterday!"

An exaggerated sigh was heard from the table and I could see the curly blonde hair girl roll her eyes. "Is there something you'd like to say Tanya?" Edward asked, some anger in his voice.

She clicked her tongue, leaning back in the kitchen chair, "I just don't understand the point of sitting with a coma patient all day long. They don't respond back to you and it's really depressing." Tanya made it a point to make eye contact with me, but I just focused on my breakfast plate and eating the warm eggs and toast.

"It's not as if those patients can hear you." Kate added with a shrug, "And if they could, they most likely won't remember all the effort you put into being there with them."

My eyes squinted as I kept eating, trying not to let their opinions get to me. "If there's not any improvement, you're just getting your hopes up." Rosalie said, "Not to mention, wasting everyone's time."

That was the last straw. I felt my teeth clench as I slammed my fork on the table. "You want to know why I sit up there with my grandmother?" I asked, looking Tanya dead in the eye, "I sit with her because I know that she still loves me. I know that she's still there. I know that's what she would do for me." I spat, giving her the meanest glare I could make, "And there are lots of things that I'd want to share with you Rosalie," I said, turning to face the Barbie lookalike, "but I keep my mouth shut because your family means too much to me to say how I feel." I didn't think I'd every say anything so snarky and mean spirted as I just did, and I slapped my hand over my mouth once I was done. There were so many mixed reactions: some of them were nodding in agreement, some had their jaws hanging slack in shock, and some of them – the blonde girls – looked pissed.

Quickly, I abandoned my dirty dish in the sink and went to the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I could hear some very angry voices yelling at each other. "Just leave her alone! She has done nothing to you!" Edward shouted, "You've been doing this to her since the first day she got here!"

"She's taking you away from your family Edward!" Rosalie yelled, "It seems like you care more about her than about us!" There was the sound of a chair hitting the ground hard.

"She  _is_  family now!" I heard Alice shriek in a tone of voice I had never expected to hear from her, "You all just refuse to give her a chance!"

Jasper must have grabbed her hand because I could hear him trying to calm her down, "It's alright darlin'." His southern drawl was carrying up the stairs.

"No, it's not Jasper." His twin responded loudly, "That is  _exactly_  what Edward said with Bella, and where is she now?" Rosalie asked, "Oh that's right, with a mangy mutt!"

My thoughts were wandering to who Bella was, but not for long. I ran the rest of my way into the master suite to get changed. My hair was in a messy bun, I found my old Columbia University sweatshirt, threw on grey leggings, and decided it was a glasses kind of day. I had decided that maybe I could let Edward decide what we do to. What was one day away from Grandma Eileen?

After I got dressed, I looked at my scar and saw that it was a little redder than the previous night, but nothing I would be worried about. I also felt like my old self, which wasn't too good of a feeling right now. But I didn't care, I was partly proud of myself for finally sticking up for myself, for not being a damsel in distress. But I still didn't want Carlisle and Esme mad at me for yelling at Rosalie.

I went back into the much quieter kitchen a little while later. Everyone was still there, quiet conversations going on. Edward was sitting close to the gifts on the table with Esme and Carmen keeping their eyes on him. Emmett and Garrett were sitting next to their girlfriends, with Tanya in the middle of them. All three blondes were sending daggers my way, but Emmett gave me a sorry-looking smile. Carlisle, Jasper, and Alice were over by the window close to the presents, and everyone else was by the island.

Edward opened his arms for me to take a seat in his lap, and I did so while keeping my glare on the girls on the other side of the table. "Maybe we should just stay here today Edward." I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Maggie, we don't have to stay here." He said, wrapping his arms around me tightly, "I'd love to join you."

I shook my head, "Like Tanya said, what's the point to sit with someone in a coma?" I shrugged, "She'll still be there tomorrow."

Edward turned my shoulders so that I he could see my face. "Maggie, are you sure you don't want to go?"

My eyes scanned his facial expression. He looked suspicious, but not like it was my fault. "I'm sure Edward. You shouldn't be away from your family to stay with me all day. If we stay back, then you get to be with your family and be with me!"

"That sounds like a great plan Margaret." Dr. Cullen said, coming up to us and taking a seat next to his friend Alistair, "Unfortunately, we are not up to anything all that interesting. A few people going to ice skate on the pond, some others were going to take a hike, and I believe a couple people still need to warp their gifts." He explained.

I shrugged, "I'm up for whatever Edward wants to do." A smile grew on my face, "It's all up to him!"

"Well," My boyfriend began, scratching the back of his neck, "I still have a few presents to wrap." Edward admitted.

"Then that's what we'll start with." I affirmed, standing up from his lap and holding out my hand for him. He stood taking it with a smile as I led us out of the kitchen. We took the stairs silently, hands swinging gently as they held each other.

When we reached Edward's room, I realized that it was the first time I would be going into his room. The first time I was going into a boy's room.

Edward opened the door and let me walk in first. The walls were cream colored and bare – no pictures, only clutter shelfs with CD upon CD. There was a white futon against one wall, but no pillows and blankets to be seen. The room was neat and tidy, not that I was too surprised. I took a seat on the futon and watched him pull the unwrapped presents out from the bottom of his closet. A cookbook, a DVD collection, and a vase were in his arms when he came back. "Is it lame to just use decorative bags?" he asked, kneeling on his shaggy rug as he placed the gifts down gently.

"Yes." I said firmly, folding my arms across my chest, "Putting in the extra time to wrap them nicely won't kill you."

He just laughed, shaking his head, "Then, do you mind giving me a hand?" Edward reached under the couch and pulled out his stash of wrapping paper.

It was my turn to shake my head as I slid onto the floor, "I'm happy to help! You cut the paper and I'll do the wrapping." I offered, taking the heavy book and placing it onto the paper.

I watched him precisely measure out how much paper he would need, folding the navy paper over the book so he could see how much he needed. It fell quiet again, and my brain began to wander back to who Bella was. Her name was coming up a lot lately, but only when I wasn't right there.

Edward handed me the book and paper back, an eyebrow raised. "Something on your mind?" He asked. My boyfriend must have seen the puzzling look on my face.

"Can I ask you something Edward?" I muttered, placing the paper back on the ground so that I could begin folding.

Peering up, I saw him nod with a smile on his face, "Sure, ask away."

I bit my lip, carefully folding one half of the wrapping paper over the book while Edward began cutting the next piece of wrapping. "Who's Bella?" I ask quickly, "It's just that…I've heard her name a lot recently, but…"

"It's fine Maggie, you don't have to explain yourself." Edward set down his scissors with a sigh, waiting for me to stop folding so that I could look at him, "She was someone I used to go out with, a long time ago." He explained, a frown on his face.

Edward looked sad, like he was trying to shake the memories that he had with her. "A girlfriend?" I asked, and after a moment, I saw him nod, "Oh." I mumbled, going back to wrapping the book. It fell quiet again as I finished the book, placing the heavy present on the futon, "Did you love her?" I whispered, feeling my voice crack a little as I tried to hold back my tears.

He handed the DVD set to me and I took it with shaking hands, "Yes." Edward confessed, "Yes, I did love her Maggie." Again, I bit my lip. This time to try and keep tears away. It's not like I was jealous, I didn't even know this girl! But, part of my heart hurt to hear that he did love someone before.

"But, she didn't love me back." My head shot up when I heard him say that. Edward wasn't looking in my direction, focused on the vase instead, "Isabella found someone else while we were still together, and I found out she was cheating on me with him."

"Edward," I said, eyes wide with shock, "I am so sorry that happened to you." I dropped the DVD's and went to give him a huge hug, "That's awful!"

I felt his arms pull me into his lap, our gifts abandoned on the ground so that I could give him some comfort. I placed some kisses on his temple and didn't let go, just letting him take the time he needed. "She's happy now, and for a long time I didn't know if I would ever find that kind of happiness," Edward faced me, placing a hand under my chin, "but now that I've met you, I think I found it." He placed a quick kiss on my forehead and pulled me in closer, the two of us just enjoying each other's company.

"Was Tanya your girlfriend too?" I asked, looking him in the eye.

I wasn't expecting a laugh to come from him, but a loud chuckle did. "Absolutely not." He said, placing his head to rest on top of mine, "We went on one date after Esme and Carmen pressured me into taking her out. She was coming off of a breakup at the same time I was with Bella, but I realized that she is not the type of woman I'm looking for." Edward explained, "She still thinks that we could work out, but I know we never would."

"That's why she doesn't like me." I said, finally realizing the truth, "And she's best friends with Rosalie, so of course she'd take Tanya's side over mine." I muttered, coming to terms with all of the information.

Edward handed me the last present and I began to wrap it in his lap, "Everyone's kind of shocked at you standing up for yourself." He said.

My eyes widened and I turned to face him, "Are Carlisle and Esme mad at me? Or Emmett?" I asked, panic in my voice, "I was just sick of getting picked on, even if this isn't my house."

"The only one's mad at you are Tanya, Rosalie, Kate, and Garrett. But he's only mad because of his girlfriend's mad." Edward explained, "Mom and dad aren't upset with you, and neither is Emmett."

I turned back around slowly, going back to finishing the wrapping. "Besides," my boyfriend mused, placing his large hands onto my arms, "it was kind of hot to see you stand up for yourself like that."

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" I cried, feeling my face burn with embarrassment.

He just laughed, throwing his hands up in defense. "What?! Can't I say that my stunning girlfriend is attractive?!" My face was really warm, but it didn't matter, he just kept laughing.

**0**

Edward and I spent the rest of the day lounging around the house. I sat with Alice and Charlotte while we watched our boyfriends play chess with each other in some kind of tournament. The shy girl was crocheting something quite quickly, and offered to teach me sometime.

After Edward won against Peter, but lost against Jasper, he claimed that a classic movie would be a great activity to do next. We made ourselves comfortable on the love seat and watched movie after movie.  _Rudolph_ ,  _Frosty_ ,  _The Grinch_ ; after  _Home Alone_  reached the twenty-minute mark, I must have fallen asleep because I was shake awake when the credits were rolling.

"Sorry I fell asleep." I apologized, sitting up from where I was laying on Edward's chest.

He just smiled, sitting up himself. "It's fine, you didn't miss too much. The mom comes back for her son." Edward winked, making me chuckle.

"Well," I began, stretching my arms by reaching up high, "what's next on the list?"

My spine cracked a little, and I groaned in relief. "That was the last thing on my list." Edward confessed, "The next activity is the annual gingerbread house contest with everyone. I think Alice and Mary are setting up in the kitchen." He said, standing from the couch.

I stood too, and the two of us walked into the kitchen to see the girls placing a couple bowls of candy onto the table. "Ah, there you two are!" The Cullen sister smiled, "Ready to build the best gingerbread house ever?" she asked, going back to the island to fill another bowl with mini candy canes.

"More like ready to see us build the best gingerbread house ever." Mary laughed, "We've won three years in a row!"

When I didn't think anyone was looking, I took one of the tiny candies and placed it in my mouth, "It's a contest?" I asked, taking a seat on the island.

Alice nodded, a huge smile on her face, "This year is the fifth annual one, so it's kind of a big deal. It's family versus family." She pointed to a plate behind me which had some gingerbread on it, and I handed it carefully to her.

"We're all very competitive," Edward began, "so this tradition is not taken lightly." He said, almost like a warning to me to be careful.

"The last time I built a gingerbread house was at Maria's house." I shared, letting the memory come back to me. We were in the third grade and her mom bought us a kit to use. It was a huge mess because we thought more frosting for glue was the way to go.

Edward lifted me off the island, holding me in his arms. "Well then, we'll need your skills to help the Cullen's take a victory this year."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding onto him tightly with a smile on my face. "I'll sure as hell try." I laughed.

With nothing else to do, Edward and I helped Mary and Alice set up for the contest. More people were filtering into the kitchen, sharing about how they spent their day with smiles on their faces. At eight, Vladimir and Stefan finally arrived so that we could all begin.

Rosalie took a seat next to Edward, but I didn't want to sit next to her at all. So, I made myself comfortable on Carlisle's lap instead. Dr. Cullen didn't seem to mind, his left arm holding me onto his knee and his right arm pointing to the different material. "How was your day Margaret?" Esme asked, sorting through a bowl of M&Ms to find the colors she was looking for.

"Relaxing." I answered, a soft smile on my face, "How was your anniversary?" I asked, reaching for the candy canes again.

Dr. Cullen's arms were long enough to reach, and he handed them over to me with a laugh. "Relaxing. We went for a nice long hike and then did our last-minute shopping." The doctor's wife explained.

"Are you doing anything else for it?" I counted out twenty of the canes, placing the bowl back on the table so that someone else could use them.

Esme shook her head, "I don't think so." She smiled, "It's the holidays, and all we really want to do is spend time with our family."

Carlisle nodded in agreement, "Besides, I tried to convince her to marry me again. But Esme refused my offer." He formed a frown on his face, obviously joking.

That made me laugh, "At least you had a good day together. That's what matters, right?"

"You're absolutely right dear." Esme smiled, placing a kiss on her husband's cheek.

The contest was about two hours long, with a timer going on the oven to make sure it was all fair. Once the timer went off, everyone's hands shot up in the air, leaving the houses untouched. Some of them were small, but had elaborate backgrounds. Others of them turned into huge mansions three stories high. The winner was determined by everyone casting their votes. You couldn't vote for yourself, and the house with the most votes was crowned winner. My vote was for Peter's family, highly impressed with the beach house theme they went for. But, the winners were Vladimir and Stefan: a red barn being their final project. We came in third, the Cullen house being something very traditional.

After everyone helped to clean up, and put the impressive houses on the island, I wished everyone good night and went up to bed. Christmas Eve was tomorrow, and there was a lot I had planned on doing.


	15. Chapter 15

*Vision*

Maggie was sitting at the side of a hospital bed alone. The sound of a flat line could be heard over the heavy sobbing coming from the tiny human girl. She was holding on tightly to the person's hand in the bed. To her grandmother's lifeless hand. Nurses and doctors soon rush in and move Maggie out of the way, pushing her out of the room. Carlisle is on the floor with her in his arms, trying to comfort her. "She can't be gone! She's all I had left! Why couldn't it have been me?" Maggie cried, still sobbing.

Maggie had lost a worrying amount of weight and was not taking care of herself. She had large bags under her eyes, her hair was matted to her head, she was skin and bones. There were attempts being made to try and bring her back, but the door seemed to be locked while we all stood outside of it.

Maggie was in a graveyard, standing at a fresh plot alone. There were white gardenias in her hands.

* * *

Alice POV

I was thankful that Maggie went upstairs before I had my vision. It was so powerful that I was shaking once I came out of it. Jasper, like usual, was at my side and holding my free hand. He had placed a pen in the other with paper underneath, providing an outlet for the vision to be seen. All I had drawn was the gardenia, which wasn't very helpful for explaining everything. Everyone else was still standing in the kitchen, worried looks on their faces.

"Alice," Carlisle asked, coming to my other side slowly, "are you alright? You were gone for a long time." There was concern in his voice.

My hand slowly set down the pen on the table and I took the picture into my hands. "It was Maggie's grandmother." I explained quietly, "She passed away."

Jasper's grip on my hand tightened, "When darlin'? Is she already gone?"

I shook my head, "In the vision, Maggie was the only one in there with her when she died." I clarified, "Nurses kicked her out once they heard the flatline noise and Carlisle found her on the ground outside of the room. Then she was in her room and looked like she hadn't been fed in weeks or sleeping at all. Finally, she was at a graveyard and holding this flower."

Esme was holding onto Carlisle tightly, her head buried into his shoulder to hide her face. While we can't cry, old habits can die hard in situations like this. Edward had his face buried in his hands at the table, probably thinking more about Maggie than about her grandmother. "It could be any day now." Edward mumbled.

"We need to prepare for the worst." Dad said, a serious tone in his voice, "We need to show her that we're all here for her during the good and the bad. That's what a family does."

The jolly holiday atmosphere seemed to diminish after my explanation, but Jasper seemed to be trying to bring some of that back. "What will happen to her then dad?" Emmett muttered, holding onto his wife tightly. She seemed to be giving him the comfort he needed, "Where will Maggie go?"

"I'm not sure Emmett." He confessed, looking down in defeat, "I am technically her temporary legal guardian. That doesn't make me her full legal guardian so I'm not sure what's going to happen."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Esme asked, sounding frustrated, "That little girl is not going anywhere she doesn't want to go. I don't care if we're not legally hers or not, she is not leaving this house until she is good and ready to." Those words were comforting to me. To all of us. Esme sometimes just knew the right things to say, and we all knew she would fight to keep Maggie safe, healthy, and happy.

Carlisle took his wife into his arms, giving her a hug. "Then, we've got some work to start dear." Dad explained, leaving the kitchen with mom to head upstairs.

* * *

Maggie POV

My eyes cracked open slowly on Christmas Eve morning. It wasn't even light out, but something in my gut told me to wake up and look outside.

And I'm glad I did; crisp, white snowflakes were gently falling to the ground for the first snowfall of the year.

I could feel my face turn into a grin as I saw the ground covered in white. Quietly, I decided not to waste the morning, and head downstairs to be alone and watch the snow. As quiet as I could, as to not wake up Carlisle and Esme who were still in their bed, I grabbed my blanket and a few stuffed friends to bring with me down to the family room. The Cullen's had an electric fireplace, and I decided that sitting in front of it would be a great way to spend Christmas Eve morning. I pulled the fuzzy blanket over my shoulders and myself comfortable. I could see the snow from the large bay window. Peaking over some clouds was the sun beginning to rise, and I just couldn't help but watch it. It seemed just like the perfect Christmas.

Until I realized it was my first Christmas without my family. Sure, I only had one Christmas with my parents when I was a baby, and every other Christmas in my life I had with just my grandmother, but this year I had no one. Yes, the Cullen's and their family were here, but biologically I was alone.

I really was an orphan this Christmas.

Part of me wanted to keep feeling sorry for myself: my parents were dead, my grandmother was in a coma, and I had no other living relatives. The other part of me wants to kick myself for being so selfish; the Cullen's had taken me in for almost two months without complaint, and there wasn't any sign of them kicking me out.

For the next hour, I watched the sun rise and the snow fall alone.

Once I decided that I had enough quiet time, I went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Just like the rest of the house, it was silent in the kitchen with no one in sight. Remembering that my boyfriend tried to make pancakes yesterday gave me the inspiration to make pancakes for myself. There were enough ingredients left, and I knew I wouldn't make as big as a mess as Edward.

Three tiny pancakes and a tall glass of milk later, I was sitting at the table and enjoying a peaceful Christmas Eve breakfast. That is, until someone sneaked into the kitchen and took a seat next to me.

It was Peter dressed in a festive Christmas sweater and dark-wash jeans. He startled me by taking the empty seat right next to me without warning. I did not even hear him come in: one minute I

was alone, and after another bite he was sitting there and smiling at me.

"Peter!" I whispered, holding my chest in shock, "You scared the Hell out of me!"

He looked like he wasn't trying to laugh, but Peter had a hard time hiding it. "Sorry Margaret, I didn't mean to startle you ma'am."

I shrugged, cutting into the last pancake, "Can I make you some pancakes Peter? Or just get you something?" I asked, taking a bite.

"No thank you." Peter said, "But those look delicious." He said, leaning his elbows on the table top.

It became quiet again, the sounds of the utensils clacking together being the only sound in the room for the most part. "You remind me so much of Molly." Peter muttered, causing me to look up, "You both have the same kind of hair – dark and long."

"I'm sorry." I apologized, "Who's Molly?" I asked, setting down my fork and wiping my face with a paper towel.

A smile grew on his face at my question. "Molly's my younger sister. She was always tryin' to cheer everybody up. There was somethin' about her." Peter explained, looking really fond, "Reminds me a lot about you." He added, looking me in the eye.

"It bet she's great." I smiled. We fell back into a comfortable silence, focusing on the large window in the kitchen.

After I was done with breakfast and washed my plate in the sink, Edward joined us. He was already dressed for the day in a red and green sweater. "Merry Christmas Eve Maggie." My boyfriend smiled, wrapping his arms around my waist in a greeting.

I smiled, returning the hug, "Merry Christmas Eve."

"You should probably get dressed," He suggested, pulling back from the hug, "Dad is almost ready to take you to the hospital." There was a sad tone in his voice, but a forced smile was on his face.

"Are you joining us?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

He shook his head, "I still have something I need to finish today." Edward explained, "But, I promise I will be here as soon as you get home."

I forced a smile back. I understood that his whole life shouldn't revolve around me, but I wanted to spend more of the day with him than the evening. "Alright, I'll get dressed. Let Carlisle know I'll be down soon." I said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

Edward returned the gesture, placing one on the opposite cheek. I took the stairs slowly, trying to figure out why he looked and sounded so upset. Perhaps it was for the same reason I was so glum this morning. Yes, he was adopted and had his adopted parents, but his biological ones died while he got to live. I had to physically shake my head to get rid of the thoughts and get dressed for the day. A sweater similar to Edward's was laid out on the large bed, and I could only assume it was Alice's idea to have us match.

I managed a quick braid down my back after getting dressed and brushing my teeth. As I went down the stairs, I heard the usually commotion filled family room fall into a hush once I reached the bottom. All of the Cullen/Hale gang were at the door, all looking as sad as Edward was.

Carlisle helped me with my jacket and Esme wrapped my scarf around my neck tight. "Have a wonderful time Margaret." She said softly, pulling me into a hug once I zipped up my jacket, "Tell your grandmother Merry Christmas, alright?"

"Of course, Esme." I nodded, "I promise."

Once she let go, Alice was next to give me a tight hug. "I'll make sure there's sugar cookies for you when you get back." She promised, "And we'll take a nice picture in our sweaters for you grandmother to see how you spent the holiday."

I nodded again once the Cullen sister let go, "That sounds great Alice."

Jasper was next, and I was surprised by the quick hug. "I got your book for you." He said, holding my bag for me to take, "Hope you both finish it before you leave tonight."

"Me too." I agreed. When the curly-haired twin stepped back to join his girlfriend, a very sad looking Emmet approached. Out of everyone, he looked the most distraught and upset, "Why are you so sad big brother?" I asked, letting him hold me in a bear hug.

I felt him shrug, "Dunno, lil' sis." He mumbled, lifting me off the ground.

"Well, don't be sad." I said, squeezing him around the neck, "It's Christmas Eve, isn't it? We shouldn't be sad. We should be thankful that we get to spend the holidays with each other."

"You're absolutely right dear." Carlisle said once Emmett set me down on the ground, "And we can give everyone the time to get themselves into the holiday spirit while we visit your grandmother."

I nodded, slinging my back onto my shoulders. Esme and Carlisle exchanged a kiss goodbye and Edward stepped up to me. "Please call me if you need anything Maggie." He whispered, pulling me into an embrace.

A soft kiss was placed on my cheek and I smile form on my face. "Of course, I will Edward."

**0**

The afternoon spent at the hospital was just as dreary as it was at the Cullen house. All of the homemade decorations that I hung up were in the garbage, there were double the number of machines attached to Grandma Eileen, and she looked the worst that I've seen her. But, I tried not to let that get to me. I still tidy up her hair to look presentable, tried to save a paper chain to hand up on the wall, and sat with her to finish the book I started the other day.

After I finished the book, I just sat with Grandma Eileen for the remainder of the visiting hours. I did take the locket off of her neck to take a look at the pictures of my parents on the inside, almost pretending that they were there with us. The whole time that I was with her, I had a gut feeling that something was going to happen, but I couldn't put my finger on it. When Carlisle came to bring me home, I made sure to take my time with goodbyes and wish her a Merry Christmas.

Once I came home, I quickly changed for Christmas Eve mass with Mr. Simmons. Alice had bought me the best dress to wear: it was a maroon fit and flare dress with brown booties and my hair was curled just right. He asked me to join him for dinner and church. The two of us ate with some of his and grandma's friends at the retirement home; a huge feast of ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and so many different pies. It was nice to see those retired people who had asked for me to play the same five Christmas songs before church.

And church was nice too. Peaceful almost. Hearing the nativity story that I had listened to countless Christmases before, singing along to the hymns, and just thriving from the familiarity of mass.

I also saw Maria there with her family. After church, I was waiting for someone to pick me up when Mr. and Mrs. Romo came up to me and gave me a hug. "Feliz Navidad Maggie." Mrs. Romo smiled, pulling me into a huge hug.

"Merry Christmas to you too Mrs. Romo." I returned the hug, giving the parents a smile.

Sofia and Santiago, the five-year-old twins, were pulling on my dress. "Is Santa coming to your new house tonight?" The tiny little girl asked.

"Does he know that you're not at your house?" Santiago asked.

I laughed, kneeling down so that I could look them in the eyes, "Yes, I'm sure that Santa will find me tonight. Don't worry." I reassured, letting them give me a hug.

Once I stood up, Tony and Maria were there. Tony mumbled a 'Feliz Navidad', not looking up from his shoes. Before I could respond, a car horn honking made all of us turn around. It was the Volvo with Jasper, Alice, and Emmett crammed in the back seat.

Edward was walking up the steps to where the Romo family and I were standing and talking. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, a few odd looks on the Romo's faces. "Sorry to interrupt Maggie," my boyfriend apologized, "Emmett was getting antsy in the back seat."

I just shook my head, knowing that there had to be more behind it than Emmett wanting to get back home. "I was just saying goodbye Edward." I explained, "Merry Christmas Maria." I said, letting Edward lead me back to the car before a response could be heard.

When we got to the car, Christmas music could be heard blasting from the surround sound system before I opened the door. "Finally!" Emmett cried once I sat down on the seat, "You were taking forever!"

"What exactly were you all doing out on Christmas Eve?" I laughed, buckling up.

Edward pulled away, heading in the direction of his house. "Last minute miracles." Was Alice's response, causing me to turn around with my eyes wide open.

"A mission from God." Emmett added, folding his arms across his chest.

I must have still looked confused because Jasper clarified, "Mom and dad wanted us to run out for a last-minute idea." He said, shaking his head at the brunettes next to him.

"Well, thanks for coming to pick me up. I think Mr. Simmons was exhausted." I acknowledged, turning back around in my seat, "It was really nice of him to invite me to spend the evening with him."

Edward nodded in agreement, "It was really nice of him. And now we get to sit and play the same twenty songs for two hours tonight."

Alice laughed, "It's more than twenty Edward." She corrected, "But we're taking a sweater picture first, then Maggie has to try my cookies!" the Cullen sister said, listing the things to do off on her fingers.

The rest of the car ride to the house was filled with conversation about the rest of the night, and it was making me excited for the rest of the night.

My boyfriend and I took a picture of the two of us before I changed out of my dress, Carmen insisting that the two of us looked too good to not take a picture. Afterwards, I went to put on my sweater once more and joined everyone for the many more pictures that needed to be taken. It was nice to be with all of these people and to feel included.

Alice brought up a plate of her cookies to the piano room for me to enjoy while Edward was already playing a classic song. Once I finished a cookie, I told Edward that I would play the next one. Just like the first time that I played for the Cullen's, I was nervous through my first song. But after most of the guests were impressed with how I could play, the nerves seemed to melt away.

It was really nice to spend almost two hours playing songs for everyone to sing along to. And I was impressed with how well everyone could actually sing. At ten o'clock, Carlisle said that it was time to head back downstairs and get ready for the last tradition. Edward and I cleaned up the music books, which led us to be the last ones to arrive in the family room. It seemed like everyone had made themselves comfortable either on the floor or some kind of soft furniture.

Dr. Cullen was sitting on the recliner with a book in his lap. "Come here Margaret." He smiled, patting his knee to suggest that it was where I was supposed to sit. Esme was sitting on the right arm on the chair, a smile on encouragement on her face, "Every year, we read ' _Twas the Night Before Christmas_. And I thought you'd like to join me."

"Sure Carlisle." I smiled, sitting on his knee and looking at the small book in his hands.

It looked worn, but loved. The colors on the cover were still vibrant and the pages were still intact. "Emmett needs the pictures." My boyfriend teased, causing a couple people to laugh. Including Emmett.

Once it was quiet again, the good doctor began reading. It was really nice, almost like something that my dad would have done for me had he still been alive. Carlisle would turn the book so everyone else could see the pictures before continuing on. When the story ended, there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" Esme said almost like she was trying to sound surprised, but did know what was going on.

I watched he head to the front door, a couple giggles from the girls filling the room once she was gone. Someone in a familiar red and white suit followed in after her, a large sack over his shoulder. "Ho, ho, ho!" 'Santa' laughed, the large white beard on his face moving when he talked, "Well, hello again everyone!"

"Maggie!" Emmett gasped, sitting up from his spot on the ground, "Look who it is!" I just laughed, shaking my head. Once the person dressed as Santa came closer, I could tell that it was Vladimir behind the beard.

But, I couldn't find it in myself to expose him. "Santa Clause is here Margaret!" Dr. Cullen smiled, lifting me off his lap so that he could let his friend take a seat in the chair, "Why don't you sit here Santa?" He offered, moving the two of us out of the way.

Edward came to stand by his dad and I, pulling me closer to him with his hand. "Well now, who wants to sit on old Saint Nicolas's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas?"

Alice and Emmett were the first two to sit on his lap, both of them really playing it up. It was nice to see them actually get presents from the man: Emmett got a basketball and Alice got a new eyeshadow palate. Jasper and Rosalie were next, not looking as into it as their significant others, but still appreciative of their gifts. Rosalie got a new curling iron while her twin brother was given a vingate looking baseball card. Makenna and Charlotte both received a new pair of shoes. Randall and Charles were gifted Bluetooth headphones. Eleazar, Alistair, and Stefan all were given worn looking books, kind of like the ones in Carlisle's office. Tanya, Kate, and Mary were given makeup kits. Peter and Garrett were given board games, Peter had a new looking chess game and Garrett had monopoly. Carmen was gifted a set of expensive looking scarfs, Esme unwrapped a nice smelling candle, and Carlisle laughed at the new stethoscope that he got to unwrapped.

After my boyfriend held up his new record to show everyone, it was my turn to sit on Santa's lap.

I was lifted onto the man's lap and I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you're new here, aren't you?"

"Yes Santa, I am." I smiled, hearing Vladimir chuckle.

He looked so much like the jolly old man that it was almost hard for me to confirm that it was him. "I have gotten your letter Margaret Kringle." Santa explained, "But, is there anything else that you would like under the tree in the morning?" He asked, a serious tone in his voice.

"You got my letter?" I whispered, not realizing how childish I must have sounded until it was out of my mouth.

'Santa' smiled, reaching for the bag on the floor in front of us. "I did my dear. And it was really helpful."

He pulled out a rectangular box which was wrapped in purple paper and had a beautiful bow on the top. I just held it in my hands when he handed it to me, my hands shaking in anticipation. "Aren't you going to open it!?" Emmett asked, snapping me back to reality.

Everyone seemed to be staring, so I thought I should get a move on and begin unwrapping my gift. Carefully, I tore away the paper and let out a gasp once I saw what was underneath. Staring back was a Samantha doll in mint condition. Her hair was curled just right, her shoes were shiny and clean, her gold locket around her neck. She was perfect.

A tear landed on the box and that when I realized I was crying. "Was this not what you wanted Margaret?" Santa asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.

I just wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a hug. "She's beautiful Santa. Thank you so much." I cried, pulling away after a moment, "I've wanted one since I was a little girl."

"You take care of her for me." He winked, "She's a special one."

I nodded my head, bring the doll back into my arms, "I promise Santa, I promise I will."


	16. Chapter 16

Jasper POV

After Vladimir left, we all became comfortable around the tree once more. Alice's great idea to have Santa come and visit brought so much excitement to Margaret, it was almost magical. When the clock struck midnight, Carlisle informed everyone that it was late and everyone should head off to bed. Maggie was the first to stand, Edward following behind her. The mind-reading vampire a kiss goodnight on the cheek after Randall pointed out there was mistletoe hanging above them. Once they were through, Maggie made it a point to say that Santa would only come and visit her because she was the only one actually heading to bed.

When she was gone, the rest of the family began to find their way through the house in order to spend the quiet hours of Christmas alone. Alice and I were the last to leave with my wife insisting we needed to wait a minute before going upstairs. When we finally did make it upstairs, a beautiful piano piece could be heard from the hallway. Edward was sitting at the grand piano, fingers flying across the keys with so much precision, it was almost hard to believe.

Alice went in first, not afraid to take a seat next to him in order to watch closely. I hung back by the doorway, not wanting to invade more than we already were. After he finished, I entered the room and stood behind the two of them. I could feel the love rolling off the two of them, but obviously for different reasons.

"That was beautiful Edward." My wife whispered, watching him take the hand-written song off the stand and into his lap, "It was the best one I have ever heard you write." She admitted.

When he looked in my direction, I nodded in agreement. "Who is it for?" I asked. Without a word, he handed me the sheet music so that I could read the title, "Sunflowers for Margaret."

Alice's eyes widened and an enormous grin broke out on her face. "Edward Cullen, that is the sweetest thing! She's going to love it!"

"She's not going to hear it." Edward responded, taking the song back.

I raised my eyebrow in confusion, "Why not?" I asked, seeing that my wife was just as lost as I was.

"I have something else to give her for Christmas." He explained, putting the piece away.

Alice stood from her seat, following Edward to the door. I was the last to leave, turning the lights off behind me. "As long as she hears it Edward." The tiny seer said, grabbing my hand to hold on affectionately, "She's not like Bella. Not at all. And this song proves that she means so much more to you than Bella did."

He didn't say anything, but did give her a smile. We watched him leave, walking downstairs to the family room slowly. I took Alice's other hand and looked her right in the eyes, a smile on her face, "Why don't we go for a walk darlin'?" I offered, causing her to grin once more.

* * *

Maggie POV

Aggressive knocking on the door is what woke me up, and I didn't even respond when it slammed open. "SANTA CAME!" Emmett's voice yelled, coming right to where I was laying on the ground, "How are you sleeping Maggie!? Santa came!" He said, kneeling down on the floor.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the sleep out. "What?" I mumbled, stretching my libs and cracking my knuckles.

Emmett was in pajamas: blue button up pajamas with snowmen all over them. That when I remembered that I was my own Christmas pajamas on as well: red with blue presents. "Santa came sleepy head, let's get a move on!" He said in a quieter voice.

Without warning, he lifted me up off the ground and situated me in a piggyback ride. It became louder the closer we got to the stairs and that's when I saw all of the gifts and people in the family room. There were so many colorful boxes under the tree that they were overflowing out, and the stockings that were hung by the chimney with care were laid on the ground because they were so full.

I was set down once we reached the bottom of the stairs and joined my boyfriend next to the empty spot he seemed to save for me. Edward and I had matching pajamas on, just like the other couples, and I thought it was sweet of Alice to include the two of us in the tradition. "Merry Christmas Margaret Eileen Kringle." Edward said quietly, placing a kiss on my head.

"Merry Christmas Edward Anthony Cullen." I returned, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Once it seemed like everyone else was situated, the gifts from Santa were being handed out. I was surprised I had presents from the Big Guy after last night. But, there were a couple packages in front of me with my name written in stunning cursive handwriting. Three of the boxes were just clothes, and I could see more of an Esme influence than an Alice in the tops that I received. One box had two new piano books in them with the themes being classic movie songs. Something told me that Emmett might have come up with that idea.  _Little Women_ ,  _Jane Eyre_ , and  _Gone with the Wind_  were all wrapped individually, and I winked in Jasper's direction after stacking them neatly in a pile. Finally, the last largest box had a beautiful tea pot set. The pot itself was white and sunflowers were painted all over them. The tiny cups and plates were matching, and my heart felt so full.

After I unwrapped all of my presents, I rested my head on Edward's shoulder and watched him open his presents from Santa. It was a peaceful morning, and I enjoyed watching everyone open all of the gifts that they were given and just enjoying the company of everyone. My hand was taken from its spot on my lap by Edward once he was finished and the two of us sat in a comfortable silence with each other while we waited for everyone to finish.

"Has everyone opened Santa's presents?" Esme asked, setting down a box at her feet.

I nodded in response while everyone else gave her a verbal confirmation. "Then it's time for Secret Santa's presents." Dr. Cullen explained, standing to grab gifts from behind the tree.

My eyes widened and I jumped up from my spot quickly, "What's the matter?" Edward asked.

"I just need to grab my gift!" I explained, running up the stairs quickly. My bare feet didn't slide on the floor so I wasn't scared of falling of the wood stairs as I ran. I grabbed all of the tiny packages that were hidden under the Cullen's bed and held them carefully in my arms as I descended the stairs once more, "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting." I apologized, sitting back down.

Esme gave me a reassuring smile. "There's no rush dear. Of course we would wait for you." She explained, holding a green present on her lap, "Now, we always go from oldest to youngest. So, who had Carlisle?" Mrs. Cullen asked.

Jasper held a decorative bag in his hand, passing it to the doctor. Carlisle took out the blue and gold tissue paper and then took out the small novel from inside. " _The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin_." He announced, showing everyone the book in his hands. People 'oohed' and 'awed' at the book when he showed it off, a grateful smile on his face, "Thank you Jasper, this looks like a great read. And not something medical related."

That caused a couple of laughs, including from myself with knowledge of Edward's present for his dad. Edward stood next, handing his present to his mom. She took it with a smile and tore into the heavy package quickly. "Oh Edward, how thoughtful!" Esme smiled, showing off her Italian-themed cookbook. For some reason, everyone was laughing really hard when they saw the book, but it must have been an inside joke from before I was here. "Who's next?" Mrs. Cullen asked, setting down the book on the ground.

"That's me!" Emmett cried, a smile of pure joy on his face, "Who had me?"

The Cullen sister stood from her spot by the tree, three smaller gifts in her hands, "I had you dear brother!" Alice smiled, handing over the gifts.

He tore into them quickly, each one causing him to have a bigger and bigger smile on his face. "All the new games from his year!" Emmett said, getting up to hug his sister tightly in a thank you.

Once he set her down, he went back to his seat and looked over the games in his hands. "Alright, Rosalie is next." Dr. Cullen said.

I bit my lip and stood up from my spot with my gift in hand. "I had you Rosalie." I said quietly, handing her the gift, "Merry Christmas."

The blonde girl took the package with a small smile on her face. I went to sit back down next to Edward and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder for comfort. He knew that I was nervous about the present and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her unwrapping it. Rosalie took the lid off the jewelry box and lifted out the ruby necklace. "Oh my goodness Maggie, it's beautiful!" Alice said, leaning over to get a better look, "What made you pick ruby?"

"It's Emmett's birthstone." I explained, "I thought it'd be a good idea."

Emmett helped Rosalie put it on her neck, "Thank you Margaret." She said, a sincere tone in her voice. The ruby stone looked great against her completion and I knew that I made a great choice with her present.

After she let the other girls look at it, she handed her twin brother a cylinder-shaped box. Jasper opened it and pulled out a dark brown cowboy hat. There was a black strap around the top and the brim was large. He placed it on his head with a smile on his face, "Thank you Rosalie, it's a great lookin' hat." Jasper said, taking his hat off and placing it in his lap.

Alice was next, and Emmett had her. The older Cullen boy handed her a small bag with a smirk on his face, "Hope you like it Al." He snickered, watching her unwrap it.

It was a deck of tarot cards and there was an unamused look on her face. The boys were all laughing, but again, I was really lost at the joke. "Wow, way to be original Em." She said, opening the cards from their package and flipping through them.

When the laughing died down, Esme grabbed a couple of rectangular shaped gifts and handed them to my boyfriend. He thanked her before opening them, my head resting on his shoulder so that I could get a look at what his mom gave him. There were four different framed pictures of Edward and I, all of them in black frames. There was one from picture day, the one of us with me on his back at the Fall family picture day, another was from backstage of the Winter concert with me holding flowers in my arms, and the last one was from our first date at the museum. "I had a feeling that you would enjoy these." His mom said.

"They're great mom, thank you." Edward thanked, standing to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Once he sat back down, Carlisle stood up and walked over to me with a tiny box in his hand. "I guess that just leaves you Margaret." He said, handing the silver wrapped box to me.

I took it with a smile, opening the box slowly. Inside of the box was a sliver locket with a familiar crest on the outside. I had to cover my mouth with my hand when I opened the locket because of what I saw on the inside. On the left side was a picture of my parents from their dating days, something that would've been inside of my special box. On the right side was a picture of Esme and Carlisle from the fall family picture day, both of them smiling hand-in-hand.

Carlisle took the gorgeous piece of jewelry from my hands and placed it around my neck. "I hope you don't mind that we went through your box Margaret." He said, looking me in the eyes, "But, I wanted to make sure that it was something important to you. You are part of this family Margaret Eileen, but you also had two parents who loved you so much." Dr. Cullen explained.

I felt tears in my eyes and couldn't hold back the sobs. "Don't you like it Margaret?" Esme asked, coming to kneel next to her husband.

"I love it." I whispered, diving into Carlisle's lap and wrapping my arms around his neck, "I don't deserve this." I said, not letting go.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. I felt Esme hug me from the back as well, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Of course you do Margaret. You are as much as a Cullen as the rest of us. It was about time you had your own crest." The three of us sat like that until I stopped crying, and when I pulled away, I was showered in kisses from the two of them.

Alice came over to get a look at the locket, opening it up and looking at the pictures on the inside. Kate, Charlotte, Mary, Carmen, and Makenna also came to look at it. They were all 'awing' at it and I couldn't feel more loved. I finally felt like I belonged in this house, but that I was still also a Kringle at the same time.

Once all the girls took their seats, we all gave our gifts to Carlisle and Esme.

Emmett and Rosalie gave their parents tickets to a new opera going on in Seattle. Carmen said that she and Eleazar saw it last month and that it was a great choice. Alice and Jasper gave their dad a new bookshelf and their mom a new paint set. Carlisle thanked them immensely, saying that he really needed to set it up right away. Esme looked over all of the colors in the set, saying that it was perfect to use for her new idea. Edward handed his dad the DVD set with a laugh, causing his dad to shake his head with a laugh back. Esme pulled my boyfriend into a hug when she opened the vase.

Then it was my turn to give my presents to the doctor and his wife. Just like with Rosalie, I was nervous to give them their presents. I handed them both their gifts and went to sit back down next to Edward. Dr. Cullen opened his first and looked very surprised when he pulled out the tie from the box. "A tie." Rosalie commented, not sounding too impressed.

I shrugged. "I know it's not something you'd wear," I said to the good doctors, "but aren't you supposed to get your dad a tie?" I asked.

Before another comment could be made, Esme's gasp in surprise caused us to pay attention to her. She was holding out the charm bracelet with all of the charms on it. It looked like the other girls were in awe at the present as well, looking over the shapes on the bracelet. "It's absolutely beautiful Margaret." She gushed, putting it on her wrist.

"I know lots of other moms who have this kind of stuff, so why should you be different?" I said, not looking her in the eyes.

I felt two sets of arms pull me into another hug on the ground where I saw sitting, and looked up to see that it was Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. "You called us mom and dad Margaret." Esme said, a shock in her voice.

"Did you mean to call us that Margaret?" Carlisle asked.

I bit my bottom lip, "I mean…kind of. But, only if you guys want me to."

The hug became tighter, "Of course we do sweetheart." Esme said, kissing my forehead, "We would be honored."

They finally let go after a moment, kissing my cheeks before they went back to the love couch. Edward pulled me into his lap once they finally let go, leaning his head on top of mine. "That was really nice Maggie, great job." My boyfriend reassured.

I smiled, wrapping his own arms around me. We all sat and watched the rest of the family exchange their gifts with each other. A lot of them were small gifts like books or jewelry, but Peter was given a bike and Tanya was given a new computer. It was really nice to just take time to sit and see other people become as happy as you are when they open their own presents.

Finally, it seemed as though everyone was finished and the only gifts left were the ones that Edward and I were going to give to each other. "I can see you biting your lip Maggie." My boyfriend said, making me stop right away, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried you won't like your gift." I confessed, "That it's not good enough."

My face was in a frown as I found more interest in the patterns on my pants than with Edward. However, he gently took my chin and hand me look into his eyes, "I'm worried you won't like mine either." He whispered, "I'm worried I'll never be able to find you something good enough for you."

I took my hands from my lap and held his head. "Well then, we better exchange gifts and find out, right?" I whispered back, waiting for him to nod.

Once I saw him nod slowly, I climbed off of his lap and went to grab the tiny box. In his hands was a blue and silver wrapped box, and something told me that Esme helped him to wrap it. "Ladies first." He insisted after we exchanged presents.

Slowly, I unwrapped the box and took the lid off of the heavy box. My eyes widened when I took out the present and I couldn't help but gasp. It was a silver jewelry box with flowers painted on the outside. When I opened it, I found out that it was actually a music box, and it was playing the most beautiful song I had ever head. "Oh Edward." I gasped, "How did you…where did you…Oh Edward."

He laughed, a reassuring smile on his face, "The box was my mom's." Edward explained, "And the song is something I wrote for you."

My eyes widened when I looked up from the beautiful present, "You wrote this?"

"Sunflowers for Margaret." He said, "They're your favorite flowers. And now, if we're apart, you still have a part of me with you." My boyfriend looked a little flustered, but I thought it was one of the best presents I could ever get.

I gently set the box down and showered his face with kisses. "This is the best present I could ever ask for Edward Cullen. But, I hope you'll play the piece for me one day." I said sternly, "Because I know you'd be the only one to do it justice."

Again, he smiled after I gave him one more kiss, right on the nose. Then, it was his turn to open his present. I didn't even have time to become nervous because it was opened quickly. All I could do was sit and watch his facial expression when he took the tiny lid off of the tiny box. Silence fell over the room. You could hear a pin drop if you listened close enough. "Just what I needed." Edward claimed, showing off the cufflinks to everyone.

"They're my dad's." I said quietly, "And I know that you don't wear clothes like that every day, so it's kind of a dumb gift."

He shook his head. "This is not a dumb gift Maggie. I've been looking for the perfect pair of cufflinks for ages now." Edward clarified, "And I am honored to be able to wear your father's cufflinks."

Edward set down the box and came to wrap me up in an embrace. I leaned my head on his shoulder while I was sitting on his lap. By the time I was getting comfortable, I was pulled back and found myself in the middle of the most romantic kiss I had ever been in. My head was feeling dizzy and my eyes wanted to stay closed forever. My arms wrapped around his neck while his found their way to my waist.

Christmas this year was not something I would have ever dreamt would happen. But, I honestly wouldn't change a thing.


	17. Chapter 17

The rest of the winter holiday went smoothly at the Cullen house. All of the houseguests left right after New Year's Eve, something that I was thankful for. While it was nice to get to know more of the Cullen's family and friends, it was nice to get back into a routine early in the new year.

And the routine seemed to work in Grandma Eileen and Mr. Simmons. I spent many mornings in the bleak hospital room with Grandma Eileen alone, not wanting to push anyone to stay with me. I would wake up early and leave with Dr. Cullen, knowing that he was on his way to work anyways and would not mind me tagging along. Someone, usually Edward, would pick me up sometime around noon and bring me to Mr. Simmons' home for lunch. I would sit and listen to his stories and he would listen to mine.

I also managed to make it to Seattle a couple of times during break with Alice and Jasper. The short girl had wanted to take me for a while, and what better time than winter break to go? It was really nice to be able to spend that kind of time with the two of them, and I was starting to feel more comfortable with them all as individuals and as a family.

Sadly, school did start again around the end of January, and that meant a new schedule for the new semester. On the flip side of that, I was in a majority of my classes with the Cullen/Hale squad, and was excited that I would have at least one person there to back me up if those new bullies tried to mess with me. American Literature was with Jasper and Edward, Gym was with Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett, I had Art with Alice and Jasper, and History with Edward, Jasper, and Emmett. Math and Biology, I still had to fly solo, but I was still more comfortable going into this semester knowing that I would have upperclassmen I knew in most of my classes.

A frantically waving hand in front of my face brought me out from my daydreaming thoughts quickly, causing me to shake my head for a moment to really clear my mind.

Alice's perfectly manicured hand was the culprit behind bring me back, and a huge smile was on her face. "Are you even listening to me?" She asked, a smirk on her face. Alice was to my right, back to the lunchroom doors, and Jasper on her other side. I could tell that they were holding hands underneath the table by the smile on her boyfriend's face.

"Sorry Alice," I apologized, shaking my head, "I guess I was somewhere else for a moment."

She smiled, waving it off. "We were talking about the school's fundraiser fair coming up." Edward, who was sitting to my left, filled in. "More accurately, Alice was trying to brain storm ideas and we are here to listen."

Jasper added after a moment, "The hospital is a sponsor to the athletics teams that the school has. I think the football field's lights were bought last year."

I nodded, glad that they were there to catch me up to speed. "Well, what do you guys usually do?" I asked, not really remembering what is done each year because of how busy I am at my station.

It was quiet among the siblings, each of them trying to remember what happened. "I believe Dr. Khan and his family were in charge last year." Edward said after a moment to think about it, "They had a dunk tank outside and all of his family were 'victims' to the freezing water."

"There is no way we are doing that." Rosalie said quickly, giving a warning glance over to the oldest Cullen brother, "I am not letting myself get soaked."

Emmett held his hands up in defense, "I wasn't going to offer it babe! I promise!" he grinned, wrapping one arm around the blonde girl before going on, "I think we should do a haunted house."

"Emmett!" I laughed quietly, setting down my water bottle before I spilled it on myself from the laughter, "It's not even Halloween!"

His eyes got wide at my response, "Exactly! They'll never see it coming!" That caused more quiet laughter from a majority of the table, smiles on everyone's face.

After I controlled my giggles, I went back to my lunch of a PB&J with carrot sticks and a leftover Christmas cookie. "Have you gone to the fair Margaret?" Jasper asked after I took a bite of the sandwich.

"I've been going since I was four." I answered, a small smile coming to my face at all the memories flooding my mind, "Grandma Eileen and I were in charge of making a lot of baked goods for the bake sale. We would spend the whole weekend before just baking, day and night! Then, we would run the bake sale with Ms. Hanson, the home economics teacher." I explained, the smile growing when I saw my boyfriend smiling back at me while I told everyone what I usually did, "But, I'm not sure who Ms. Hanson is going to ask this year to help her out if Grandma isn't going to be able to bake anything."

I could see Alice's eyes light up after I finished explaining the bake sales, "That's it!" She smiled, reaching for her bag on the ground next to her, "We could combine the bake sale with the hospital sponsorship!"

Edward and I exchanged looks, mine much more worried looking that his. "Don't even try to stop her now, Margaret." Jasper warned, "You put that thought into her mind, and now there is no way she's going to give it up."

The Cullen sister was writing a mile a minute on a clean lined piece of paper, the purple pen flying across the lines. "I can stop by her classroom after my French class," She began, looking up from the paper, "and you must have all the recipes at your house, right Mags?" All I could do was nod, trying to remember where the cookbooks would be.

"Anyways…" A voice cut in, bringing my attention over to Rosalie sitting across from me, "The prom themes were emailed to us during homeroom this morning. Did you all vote?" She asked.

Prom at Thompson Falls High School was a Junior and Senior prom. Underclassmen could go, but only if their date was an upperclassman. "Mr. Price had everyone do it before we left." Alice said, finally setting down her pen, "Jasper and I voted for the Carnival."

"I wanted Under the Sea," Emmett frowned, leaning back in his chair, "But Rose and I voted for Masquerade Ball."

I nodded, turning to look my boyfriend in the face before talking, "What did you vote for?"

"Masquerade Ball." He answered, "But only because Mr. Price made everyone vote before they could leave for their first period."

"Did you vote Maggie?" Alice asked, leaning on her elbows that were resting on the table.

I shook my head, wiping my hands on the napkin I had, "It's a Junior and Senior prom. Freshmen and Sophomores don't get a vote for something they can't go to."

Laughter across from the table coming from Emmett made me give him a questioning look, "Did you forget that Eddie boy is a Junior?" He asked, "Unless the two of you broke up?!"

Edward punched her brother playfully in the arm, "I know our sweet brother looks like a baby," Jasper added, causing my boyfriend to send him a glare, "but I'm sure he thought you both would be going together." I seemed to slip into my own thoughts again while the others at the table were talking about the dance or teasing Edward.

While only a month had passed since Edward and I 'made it official', this was the happiest month I had in a long time. A lot of the school caught on quickly once we got back that the two of us were together. This seemed to drive away the bullies and Maria for the most part, but I didn't care. Edward was thoughtful and sweet to me each and every day. He would know when I was down or struggling and surprise me with flowers, just in the nick of time. They would sit in the same vase on my vanity, and they would stay there until the last one wilted.

I also made it a mission to bring him on a surprise date, even though I couldn't drive. I bought symphony tickets with my own cash, and Esme helped me actually buy them online. Alice dressed me up in a new emerald dress while Jasper helped find the right tie for his brother. Edward said he was surprised when I told him where we were going, but I still think someone spilled the beans before I could tell him. Regardless, I was just happy that my boyfriend seemed to enjoy himself on our date.

The shrill school bell ringing brought me back to reality, and I took Edward's hand before we left the table.

"So," He began, weaving our way through the busy hall, "did you not want to go to prom with me?" Edward asked, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

My eyes widened, "No! That's not it!" I answered quickly, making sure to cover my tracks before he thought I wouldn't want to go at all, "I was just saying that it's traditionally an upperclassmen thing and I'm not an upperclassman yet."

I could hear him laugh quietly, his cold hand giving my warmer one a comforting squeeze. "Well, if I asked you, would you turn me down?" I shook my head, giving a tiny squeeze back to him. Edward and I made it to my biology classroom, the lab not filled up yet with only Ms. Leon sitting on the desk in the front. "Then, Miss. Kringle, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the prom this spring?"

"It would be my pleasure Mr. Cullen." I smiled, reaching up on my tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, "Although, I hope you know Alice and Esme are going to have a field day playing dress up for this."

He bent down to return a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll be sure to warn them to take it easy." Edward smirked, causing me to roll my eyes playfully, "Wait here after class so I can walk you to history." He said, letting go of my hand and looking me in the eyes.

"I still don't know how you get from your calculus class, which is upstairs in the far west corner, to my biology classroom so fast." I mussed, shaking my head and crossing my arms over my chest, "Are you secretly the Flash or something?" Edward laughed, shaking his head and leaving.

* * *

Esme POV

The house was surprisingly quiet. Once the others returned home from school, Alice informed me that he thought a bake sale for the fair would be a great idea; that Margaret had been doing it with her grandmother for years now, and she would be able to lead us through it. While the human's face did not show her confidence, I had to agree with the petite vampire that it was a great idea. Edward also informed me that he had asked his new girlfriend to the prom with him in the Spring. I was overjoyed at the news, not only for my son's happiness, but for Margaret as well. The two of them give each other so much joy, it almost radiates off of them. Of course, once Alice heard the news, she could not leave the poor human alone and bombarded her with questions about what she was going to wear to the dance. I had to reassure her that Carlisle and I would cover the cost of the dress and shoes for the dance, that we just wanted her to get what she wanted to wear and not what others wanted her to wear.

After Margaret had her dinner and went into the guest bedroom for the evening, saying a collective goodnight to everyone, the others went on their way as well. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were going for a 'guys night' in Canada. Jasper promised me that he would bring his brothers back by three, a serious look on his face. Rosalie went into the garage, having a new project to keep her occupied. Her husband found a beat up, 19080 Mercedes Benz 450SL a week ago, and the blonde beauty queen just had a new part come in for it this afternoon. Alice was down in the basement, looking over a few cookbooks that I had purchased over the years. She was excited to try and make Margaret feel more included with this, and what a better way than with food? My husband was still at the hospital, taking the late shift tonight. I was currently in the kitchen, preparing a few meals for Margaret this week. There was a new recipe on Lydia's Kitchen this week that I thought she would enjoy, and it was not like I had anywhere else to be.

Around ten o'clock, I could hear soft footsteps making their way down the kitchen's staircase. The person behind these feet was the tiny human girl clad in her pajamas and hair a mess. She looked exhausted, but also had body language that read uncomfortable. Margaret was hugging herself as she took a seat at the table, some sniffles coming from her. "Margaret dear, what has you up so late?" I asked gently, taking a seat across from her.

A moment passed in silence between us until she finally looked up at me. Her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and crying, and the way she held onto her own sleeves were indications that something was not right.

"I'm scared Esme." She finally confessed, biting her lip quickly after the words left her mouth.

I reached across the table to offer her a hand for comfort, "Scared of what?" I asked quietly, waiting patiently for her to take my hand.

Once she did, the human let out a breath she was hold in, "I'm scared that Grandma Eileen is doing so much worse than before." Margaret confessed.

"Why do you say that?"

"Yesterday," the human began, a tremble in her voice, "she was hooked up onto all of these new wires and machines. I couldn't even hold her hand because I thought it was going to do something to mess with all of the new equipment." Margaret paused to collect herself before continuing on, "And she's gotten so much paler. Even more pale than you guys… no offense." She added quickly, her eyes going wide in apology.

I just shook my head, indicating for her to continue, "If she could see her hair, she'd have a cow Esme. It's falling out, she's going bald." I watched her shake her head and look down at the table, "I thought leaving the locket with her could spiritually help her heal or something…but I guess not."

A few tears fell onto the table after Margaret finished, and I let go of her hand. Quickly, I got up from my spot and went next to her to try and give her comfort through a gentle hug. The tiny human crawled her way into my lap, not sobbing up just thankful someone was there to offer comfort to her at the moment.

The kitchen was quiet after that for a long time, almost five minutes. I knew that I needed to say something to comfort her, but I just had to be careful with what to say. Alice's vision was still fresh in my mind, but I did not want her to lose faith because of something I said.

"Margaret," I began, gently grabbing her chin to look into her eyes, "from the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that Carlisle is trying  _everything_  in his power to help your grandmother get better." I said, which seemed to do little to reassure her. So, I continued, "But, at the moment, you should focus on all of the good memories that you have with her. You are so lucky to know this wonderful woman who has not only done so much for you, but so much for this town that we live in. She is a great lady, and had done a wonderful job with raising you on her own."

Margaret nodded a little after I finished, taking in the advice I had given her. "I guess you're right Esme." She said, yawning a little once she spoke, "I just wish things could be different."


	18. Chapter 18

Rosalie POV

Although I was in the garage alone, working on my newest project, I could still hear Esme and the human in the kitchen. I did not mean to pry, but it was difficult not to hear crying when it is not a common sound heard where you live. I could feel the anger building up when I heard my adoptive mother trying to comfort Margaret. Because of Alice, we all knew of her grandmother's fate, so why was Esme trying to sugar coat this situation? Why wouldn't she try and prepare the weak human for what was going to happen?

This would just cause her to bring my family more trouble later on.

Since the moment Margaret was brought into our home, she seemed to be taking everyone's attention. At first, I thought that Jasper and Edward would be on my side in this situation: distant, cold shoulder, and detached. But somehow, they were too broke and are close with her.

She has Carlisle and Esme wrapped around her finger – they will bend over backwards for her, and she's not even a member of this family! Alice sees her as some kind of plaything, almost like a living doll for her to do as she pleases. And if Alice is obsessed, of course her husband would agree with her. Edward is much too close to Margaret, to the point where I think our family is in more danger than we had ever been.

Then there's Emmett. There has not been one day since she made herself comfortable in that guest room that my husband hasn't brought the puny human up. Whether it's something he thinks is funny, or if he thinks that she needs something, or even if he thinks I am being too cold towards her. At least Tanya and Kate could see where I was coming from. If only Edward would have seen reason and given Tanya a second chance, then I know that he would be on my side with this whole situation.

I did not notice I bent the wrench in my hands until I heard a loud snapping sound.

Familiar footsteps coming towards the house made me clear my thoughts in order for the mind-reader to stay out of my business and avoid another argument. "Honey, I'm home!" My husband called in a sing-song voice, coming into the garage first.

I turned around to see the other boys following him, all three of them looking very relaxed after their hunt. "I did not think this car would give you trouble Rosalie." Jasper said, most likely sensing my mood a little more on edge than usual when I would work on a car like this one. I was crossing my fingers that he would believe it was the car and not the human inside.

"Just a little more work than I thought, I guess." I answered, watching Emmett take a peek under the hood at the progress I was making.

My husband had his usually goofy looking grin on his face; I could tell that he was proud of his choice of car for me to tinker with. "Is Alice still occupied with the cookbooks?" My 'twin' asked.

I silently nodded, looking for the screwdriver in the large toolbox to try and bring my focus back on the Mercedes Benz. "I think it was cool of her to try and include Mags with somethin' she's used to for the fair." My husband said, leaning on the workbench and talking to his brothers, "And Ms. Hanson is a pretty chill old lady." He added.

"I just hope it will not bring any stress on her." Margaret's boyfriend said, "I know that she believes her baking skills are not up to par with her grandmother."

"Of course, the human would have to been helping all these years at the bake sale." I said, really trying not to roll my eyes, "How ironic that the people who cannot even tell if what is made is edible are agreeing to make dozens of desserts." I added, my tone of voice very sarcastic, "But anything for our house guest, of course." Without even looking in his direction, I could tell that Edward was getting angry, but I could not find it in myself to care.

I knew that he could read my thoughts, and I knew that Jasper could sense my emotions, so there was no point in trying to fake anything to them at this point. We had all known each other long enough to know if someone was lying to their face anyways.

Without a word, both Edward and Jasper left the garage. Emmett and I were silent for almost a half hour; I went back to working on the red junker and he just stood there with his arms folded across his chest.

Finally, my husband broke the silence between us. "The elk was decent tonight." He began, handing me the ratchet wrench I was looking for, "The herd must be migrating right now."

"It is that time of year Em." I answered, head buried under the car's hood.

Once I came out, I could see that he had something on his mind, but was trying to find the right words. After I exchanged the wrench for a screwdriver, he finally spoke. "So, Eddie mentioned a Valentine's Day idea that Mags came up with." Emmett said, "She thought it'd be fun for all of us to go bowling at Lucky Lanes." He explained, "And there's not any food involved so we all dodge that bullet. Everyone seemed to think it would be fun."

"Everyone except for me, Emmett." I growled in a low voice, not knowing if this was going to lead to an argument or not, but not wanting anyone else to be listening in.

He looked a little confused, most likely because of the anger in my voice. "I thought you liked bowling babe?" Emmett asked.

"And I thought we were a family." I clarified, slamming down the screwdriver hard enough to chip the plastic handle, "And I thought that families care about everybody's opinion. Not just the majority."

Once again, it became very quiet in the garage.

* * *

Maggie POV

After today, I could tell that math this semester was going to be so much worse than last semester. I was currently explaining this to my lovely boyfriend while he drove to the hospital. "I really don't know what Ms. Crocker is thinking. Am I really supposed to do fifty math problems by tomorrow on top of all the other homework I need to get done?" I asked, sounding a little defeated.

"Don't worry love." He smiled, reaching a hand to hold mine, "I'll be happy to help you with whatever you need help with."

I smiled, feeling a blush form on my face, "Love? That's a new one." I said, looking at his face.

He shrugged, "If you don't like it, I don't have to use that one." Edward said, "There's always dear, baby, honey, princess, angel…"

A laugh escaped from me and I grabbed his hand with both hands, "Whatever makes you happy muffin." It was his turn to laugh at the nickname, "What, don't like that one?"

"Not at all." Edward said, gently pulling his hand I had trapped so he could turn the wheel, "That is one I will not respond to."

My smile grew on my face. I never thought I would be that kind of girlfriend to anyone, but it was nice to feel like I was talking with my best friend and my boyfriend. Edward pulled into a parking spot close to the entrance of the hospital. "I'll think of something else then, snookums."

I could see him roll his eyes playfully at me, putting the car into park. As an answer to the awful nickname, he gently took my face into his hands and pulled me closer to his own. "Margaret Eileen Kringle, I know you can do much better than that milady."

Laughter filled the car, my heart light and my smile not wanting to leave. "We'll figure out the perfect ones. I'm sure of it." I said, looking right into his beautiful looking eyes.

He sighed, giving me a genuine smile when he let go of my face. "Now, are you sure I cannot convince you to let me go with you today?" Edward asked, looking a little concerned that I wanted to go visit my grandmother alone today.

I shook my head, "I'm a big girl Edward, I'll call you if I change my mind." I promised, now taking his face in my own hands and placing my lips gently onto his.

Something that I noticed was how Edward was becoming much more relaxed with our intimacy, even becoming more hands on with them too. Not that I minded at all. It was sweet a lot of the time: holding my hands, holding onto my waist, brushing his fingers through my hair. In this situation, he placed his hands on-top of mine, almost like a trap.

After what seemed like forever, I broke the kiss and looked back at his eyes to make sure he knew that I would be fine. "I'll see you at home." I smiled, opening the car's door so that I could finally make my way into the hospital, "Don't miss me too much!"

"I will try." He smiled. I knew that he wouldn't leave his parking spot until he saw me walk into the hospital for himself, just making sure that I made it alright.

As soon as I made it into the lobby, a chill ran through my whole body. Something didn't seem right about it today, and I just couldn't put my finger on what was going on. Over the past couple of months, I felt a lot better about the hospital as a place, but not right now.

With my head down and eyes focused on my feet, I just made my way to the elevator so that I could just make it to Grandma Eileen's room. The halls were almost too quiet; I was used to seeing a good number of younger nurses making their rounds with the patients at this time of day, but there was no one in sight.

Like usual, Grandma Eileen was laying in her hospital bed looking absolutely awful. I took my usual spot on the side of her bed, setting down my backpack next to the chair. Her eyes had large bags under them, her hair was greasy, and lips dry. I couldn't believe that this elderly woman once used to be so dependent with every part of her life, and now she had no control of anything going on with her life.

A soft knock on the door made me look up from the bed and to the door. Carlisle, clad in his usual doctor's coat, walked in with a gentle smile on his face. "Miss. Kringle." He said.

"Dr. Cullen." I answered, giving him a small smile too, "How's Grandma Eileen doing today?" I asked, letting my smile fall a little bit.

The doctor let out a small sigh, looking at his clipboard. "No improvements today Margaret. She is scheduled for testing tomorrow morning, and we will just try and make her as comfortable as we can."

That wiped the smile off my face. I understood that he was doing the best that he could, but I never thought that I would have to go through this kind of situation with my grandma. "Thank you, Carlisle. It means a lot to me that you're taking good care of her." I said sincerely, "Of course, you probably take great care of every patient you have. But, you've done a lot for us."

"I am always happy to help you dear." Dr. Cullen answered, coming to where I was sitting to place a comforting hand on my shoulder, "I will come to get you around six." He smiled, giving one more pat on my shoulder before he left me with Grandma Eileen.

The room grew quiet, quieter than it had ever been. Somehow, through all of the wires and tubes, I managed to grab onto Grandma Eileen's hand and felt some kind of relief was through me. The two of us sat like that for almost an entire hour. I didn't say a word to her today, just would squeeze her hand gently and look her over in detail.

Around five o'clock, the main machine attached to her began making an unfamiliar noise. At first, I just thought one of the wires was loose from her body, but then I could see that the noise was becoming more and more frantic. The lines on a monitor were not as jumpy, like usual. I had no idea what was going on, but Grandma Eileen just kept laying there, like always.

Suddenly, a sound like out of a doctor's television show filled the room from the machine, and I looked to see the lines become straight.

Grandma Eileen flatlined.

My heart in my chest was beating so hard, I could feel it in my ears. I was sweating so much, the noises around me were becoming quiet. My vision was blurred from tears gathering in my eyes. Before I could move, I was being pulled out of the room and left in the hallway outside of the room, the shock of the moment keeping me paralyzed.

I crumble to the ground, back leaning against the wall. My legs curl up to my chest and I finally realize that I've been sobbing once I see the tears fall onto my pants. Through my tears, I can see Dr. Cullen sprint into the room with a few more nurses following behind him. I couldn't stop crying while I sat on the dirty ground. My heart hurt, my eyes were burning, and my nose was beginning to run.

At some point, Carlisle joins me out in the hallway. He takes a place next to me on the floor, gathering me into a hug. I could hear him whispering something to me and feel him gently rubbing circles on my back. "She's gone." I whispered, a sob following, "She's all I have left, she can't be gone." I cried, burying my face into his neck, "Why did she have to go?!"

Carlisle didn't say anything to answer, just held me a little tighter in his arms. What seemed like a long amount of time, but was probably only a few minutes, the doctor and I sat on the ground together. My tears were beginning to subside and I pulled my face out from his neck to look at the kind doctor in the face. Carlisle's face looked worried and sympathetic.

Without a word, the both of us stood and I was led to his office in quiet. The hospital was still eerie to me, and it seemed like everything was just darker than before. Dr. Cullen opened the door to his office and sat me down on the small leather couch gently. He knelt in front of me, hands on both sides of me. "Margaret, I am so sorry." He said in a quiet voice.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." I whispered, rubbing my eyes with the back of my sleeve, "I know she wasn't doing the best, but I thought she was supposed to still be fine." I said.

Carlisle shook his head, "I did not see this happening either." He confessed, an honest look on his face.

I just bit my bottom lip, feeling more tears coming on. "I just wished I could've said goodbye Carlisle." I confessed, "When she could say it back to me."

It was quiet again, but Carlisle did not leave his spot in front of me. I saw him on his phone, texting someone frantically. I had to keep breathing deeply to keep myself calm and bring my heart rate down. The doctor in Carlisle could tell that I would fall into a panic attack if I couldn't calm myself down, so he was breathing deep with me. It was nice to have someone comforting me while everything way going wrong.

Carlisle must have told his family what happened, because more quickly than I thought humanly possible, Edward slammed open his dad's office door and almost ran inside. I stood quickly, feeling light headed but I didn't care. Before I knew it, I was wrapped in Edward's embrace, arms tightly around his neck and my face buried in his neck too.

"I need to take care of somethings you two." Carlisle's voice said quietly and I could feel his hand on my back.

Edward responded for us and I heard the door close gently when Dr. Cullen left. "Margaret." Edward said, not moving an inch from his spot.

I just tightened my grip around him, "It all happened so fast Edward." I murmured, "I didn't even know something was wrong."

He just held me tighter too, moving from his spot. I could feel our shift in gravity and I knew that he went to sit down on the couch. I was in his lap, shifted in a way that resembled the way a new groom would carry his wife. My legs were pulled up so that I could make myself as small as possible in his lap. "She's in a better place now." Edward said, and I pulled myself away from his neck to look at him, "Sadly, I have gone through this before too. But, you should find comfort in the fact that she is not suffering any longer." He placed a tender kiss on my forehead.

I couldn't say anything to him and just leaned my head against his shoulder.

We both sat like that for a while. I understood that Edward had gone through something like this before with his own mother, but he might not know exactly what to say in a situation like this. It would be difficult for anyone, including myself. At some point, Edward began talking about a collection of music that he found in the basement today. I knew that he was trying to distract me, but it wasn't really working.

Time went slowly from that point. I enjoyed listening to Edward's voice, but I have no idea what he was saying to me. Around seven, Carlisle finally came back and told us that we could leave. He had my backpack in one hand and my jacket on his arm. The walk was slow and everything was spinning. I didn't feel lightheaded, but both Cullen's held onto me like I was going to faint at any moment. All I wanted to do was get into that guest bedroom, curl up with Pebbles, and be alone.

Edward got into the back seat of Carlisle's car with me, never letting go of my hand during the ride to his house. Again, everything was kind of a blur during the ride. No radio, no talking.

Once we pulled up to the Cullen house, I could see all the lights were on in the family room. As soon as I walked through the door, I was pulled into a tight hug between Emmett and Alice.

"Oh Maggie," Alice said sadly, "I am so sorry." She sympathized. Emmett didn't say anything, just hugging me tighter.

When the two of them let go, I was surprised that Jasper gave me a quick hug as well, "I give my condolences Margaret." He said, pulling back from the embrace quickly and taking Alice into his arms instead. A quiet apology from Rosalie was heard from Emmett's side, the blonde tucked into his side.

Esme came up to me next, and that's what really broke me and caused me to sob. She held me a little tighter and rocked her comforting body from side to side gently, telling me that it was going to be ok. That must have been a cue for the others to leave because when I looked up, the only one there was Carlisle.

Silently, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen led me into the kitchen and sat me at the table. Esme took a seat next to me while her husband brought a plate of pasta to the table for me to eat. Just the sight of the usually delicious meal made me nauseous. But, I knew the doctor in Carlisle and the mother in Esme would not let me leave until I at least had a few bites to eat. A glass of water and a few bites later, I set down my fork and gently pushed the plate away from me. A worried look flashed quickly over Esme's face, but I just couldn't force myself to take another bite.

"It has been a long day for you dear." Esme said, grabbing the barely touched plate from the table and setting it on the counter by the sink, "You must be exhausted."

I just nodded, not having it in me to say anything right now. "Esme, will you bring Margaret up to her room to get ready for bed? I will clean up in here and meet you two upstairs."

Esme gave her husband a kiss on the cheek before taking by the arm and leading me to the stairs. I didn't have enough energy in me to care if I was being led around like a dog. All I wanted to do was just lay down and get this day over with.

Kind Mrs. Cullen did indeed help me get ready for me. She brought me into the bathroom so that I could brush my teeth and get on my glasses. She had a clean set of pajamas ready for me to change into. She brushed out my knotted hair gently, then put it into a braid for the night. Just as I was crawling into bed, Carlisle knocked on the door and entered quietly.

Esme made sure I had Pebbles in my arms and Carlisle checked that the window was locked up tight. When I was snug underneath the blankets, the Cullen parents both placed a kiss on my forehead in their way of saying goodnight before leaving the room.

For the first time since four in the afternoon, I was all alone. Memories of my first night at the Cullen house were coming back. The feeling of being alone and scared. And while now, I knew that most of the people under this roof, I was still somehow more terrified and lonelier than before.


	19. Chapter 19

Esme POV

The funeral was, surprisingly, a large affair. Carlisle and Margaret went to her house shortly after Eileen passed away to see if they could find a will that Eileen left behind. Thankfully, the older woman had the right documents where her granddaughter would find them in this situation. My husband and I made the proper arrangements with the late Kringle woman in mind. After contacting the funeral home that was handling the body, Margaret insisted that we call Mr. Simmons and the Romo family to let them know of Eileen's passing.

Margaret only talked to the older man, too upset to talk to Mrs. Romo on the other end of the phone. The Romo family insisted on making a large meal for Margaret and our family, which the human girl seemed to greatly appreciate when the delicious smelling meal was brought to the house. After her call with the piano teacher, Carlisle invited the older man to our home to see Margaret. The two humans grieved together in the kitchen, playing with the food that was brought over and sharing memories. Robert Simmons offered to take care of the church arrangements, knowing what his best friend would want when it came to her service. We left it up to Margaret, who agreed to let him take care of everything.

On the day of the funeral, everyone seemed very somber and quiet. All of us were in our best black clothing, wanting to pay our respects to Margaret and her grandmother in the best way that we could. When we arrived for the private visitation, early that morning, it was just us and Mr. Simmons. Margaret was stone faced the entire time, even when the elderly man shed a few tears when saying his goodbyes to Eileen.

The actual service had the chapel packed with people from the community. People from the high school, nurses from the hospital, elderly people from her Bingo nights. Everyone was very upset with the passing of Eileen Kringle, and the people in attendance really showed the impact the woman had on the small town.

I knew that my family was not religious, but it meant a lot to Margaret to have everyone there at the church with her. It was a beautiful service to attend. Mr. Romo said the readings, Robert played the piano while Mrs. Romo sang some hymns.

Edward and I did not leave the human's side the entire time. My son held onto her hand comfortingly, tracing shapes on the back of her hand or bringing it up to place a tender kiss onto it. I was there in a protective sense. She was in a very vulnerable state with her grandmother's passing, and I just wanted to make sure she was going to be alright.

Margaret ended the church service with a poem. When Carlisle asked her if she would like to have someone say a few words at the service, she told him that she would like to instead. Margaret and Jasper spent a couple of hours going through a few things that she could say – a prayers, something written, a passage from a book. Finally, the two ended up finding a beautiful poem:  _Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep._  She practiced with a shaky voice for hours once it was the chosen poem, and finally perfected it to her liking.

When the poem was shared, there was not a dry eye in the who church. Except for Margaret's. While she shared it with so much emotion and passion, not a single quiver was in her voice or tear on her cheek.

The burial itself was very quick. The brisk early February winds kept the priest from wasting anytime in the grave yard. Margret stood at the closed casket, which was covered with white gardenias, and let everyone say their condolences to her while my family and I let her have some space to handle this. The priest finished the service and people left the grave yard to return to their normal lives. When the priest said his goodbyes to the small human girl, she took a couple of the flowers from her grandmother's casket and placed them at the grave next to the new plot.

Carlisle went to bring Margaret back to the car after a little while, the winds picking up and making it dangerously cold outside for a human. Edward made sure to bring the flowers as well, knowing that his girlfriend would wonder what happened to them if no one brought them home.

* * *

Carlisle POV

I, along with most of my family, worried about Margaret after the funeral. The remaining days after the service, the human girl stayed back from school. She begged Esme and I to let her stay home, claiming that she felt sick and couldn't make it to school. My beautiful wife insisted that she was grieving still, and that if she wanted to stay home for a while she could. If there was one thing that I learned since becoming a married man, it's that you don't argue with your wife when it comes to your kids.

However, the real worry began once I began to notice the human eating less and less.

It was not uncommon for grieving humans to cut back on their usual diets, but Margaret's cut backs were extreme.

She started by finishing most of her meal, about three-fourths of it. Then, only half of the meal before claiming she was full. Now, we were lucky if one-fourth of the portion would be eaten. And during every meal, either myself, my wife, or my son would be there to make sure that something was eaten.

The worry only increased once she locked herself away in her room.

During the first few days after Eileen had passed, Margaret would not leave her room, but welcomed others to come in and sit with her. I would come in after my shift at work and talk with her: about her day, about my day, about anything I could think to say to keep her engaged with the conversation. Alice would be found trying to doll the human up a little bit, insisting that if she looked good she would feel good too. My beautiful wife would be found braiding her hair after a shower, Esme holding a one-sided conversation most of the time. A few times, I would see Jasper bring up his chess board to her room, and I would assume that the two played in silence. Emmett brought his television into her bed room early one morning, when Margaret could not sleep, so the two could play a mindless game together. I even saw Rosalie try to comfort the human: the two girls were sitting on Margaret's bed, Rosalie slowly painting the human's nails a nice pink color. Of course, Edward would be with his girlfriend as much as he could. This was mostly at night time. We would hear the poor human girl wake up after only a few hours of sleep, tossing and turning under the heavy blanket. Edward would tip toe in quietly, crawling into the bed himself to hold her and hope that she would fall back asleep. Sadly, most nights consisted of the two talking with each other and sharing secrets. While it was not good that Margaret was not getting any sleep, it was nice to see the two grow even closer together.

Now, the door was locked and she would not open it for anyone. On the first day, we all left her alone and gave her the space that she needed. We could hear her heart rate drop to a sleeping level for most of the day, so I knew that she was not in danger behind the door. Esme brought up a meal for her, leaving it outside of the door for her to have. Thankfully, it was touched a little bit from the girl, and we let her be.

But when three more days passed in the same fashion, more worry set in. The shower would run once a day, the door would open and shut quickly for her to grab her meal, but nothing else was heard from the room.

Edward and Esme were taking it the worse. My wife would stay in our room, just in case Margaret would need anything quickly and she could be there right away. Edward could not even read her mind after day two, and Alice and Jasper could not use their gifts either. He spent one day sitting in the hall, trying to talk to her through the wall.

There was a depressing mood settling in at the house, and it took a lot of effort from Esme and I to try and keep everyone calm.

* * *

Edward POV

Carlisle called a family meeting after day four of my girlfriend locked away in her room.

I was more worried than ever about that beautiful human. I understood that she needed to grieve over the major loss in her life, but I didn't think she would shut everyone out. I couldn't get into her thoughts at the moment, Jasper couldn't manipulate her stress levels, and Alice had no visions with her in them anymore. All anyone could do was base her well-being off of the heart rate coming from her room.

My mind must have been wandering because I did not notice Rosalie or Emmett enter the kitchen and take their seats at the table. "Are you still worried about Mags?" My 'older brother' asked in a quiet voice, wrapping his muscular arm around his wife carefully.

I didn't verbally answer, knowing that everyone knew Esme and I were not taking this easily. "She's still grieving Edward. I know that the food left outside her door is somewhat eaten still and the water Esme leaves her is always gone." Rosalie said, a genuine tone of voice coming from the usually distant vampire, "Maggie's smart, she knows that she needs food."

"Rose is right." Emmett added, "Maggie just needs to get through this part alone right now."

It fell quiet in the kitchen again. Alice and Jasper joined us once Carlisle arrived home from work. Once the head of the coven put away his bag and got his wife from their room, the two joined the rest of us in the kitchen.

Esme looked how I felt: distressed. I understood that her protective instincts were in overdrive when it came to Maggie, and not being able to do anything was taking a toll on her.

When Carlisle took his seat at the head of the table, he began the meeting in a quiet voice. "As you all know," He said, letting his wife take his hand on top of the table, "Margaret has been isolated in her room for almost four days now. It has almost become unsafe." We all could hear his doctor's voice begin to show, and that was alarming to me, "She may have become dehydrated to the point of passing out. If that is the case, then she might have to be taken to the hospital."

I didn't need to be a mind-reader to know that everyone had their worries with this information. "We need to have a plan for getting into her room if she does not come out tomorrow." Esme said sternly, "I respect everyone's privacy, but the matter of safety is in play now." The room seemed to be in silent agreement with Esme.

"I'll go in there." I offered, looking her in the eye seriously, "You and Carlisle come as well, just in case she needs medical attention." The two nodded after a moment, both of them thinking over any possible problems that could happen.

With the plan in place, Carlisle went into the next topic that he wanted to bring up. I could tell that this idea was stirring in his mind for a while now, and both he and Esme were excited to finally share the news.

"Moving on," Carlisle smiled, gesturing to his wife, "Is there something you would like to share mia amore?"

Esme's smiled matched her husband's as she turned to the rest of the family. "While we wanted this to be a family vote," She started, "but Carlisle and I just finished the paper work to legally adopt Margaret." For the first time in a few days, there were smiles all around the room. I noticed that Carlisle and his wife shared a smile, "Of course, we would like to know what everyone else believes before we tell her."

Emmet was the first to speak up, "She's pretty much a Cullen Ma." He said, a huge grin on his face, "I vote yes!"

"It's a yes from me as well." I added, giving the happy couple a smile.

Alice nodded, "Jasper, I promise nothing bad is going to happen if Maggie's a Cullen." She took her husband's hand gently, "And she already thinks of you as a brother!" After a moment of non-verbal communication between them, Jasper nodded with a relaxed look on his face.

Of course, a familiar sounding huff coming from Rosalie. "What about the one thing we haven't told her?" She asked, crossing her arms across her chest. That was a fair point; no one let Maggie in on our…common attribute. "She's going to find out eventually. And what if that ruins any kind of relationship or trust she has with any one of us? Do you really want that kind of tension in this house? She's already putting our lives in danger as it is, do we need the possibility of this going public on accident a factor as well?"

"That is something Esme and I will handle before we ask Margaret if she would like to become officially adopted." Carlisle explained gently, "She deserves the right to know who we are if she is going to become an official Cullen."

* * *

Maggie POV

The alarm clock on the bed's side table flashed 2:00 AM at my face when I rolled over. The past couple of days were terrible; restless nights, upset stomach, pounding headaches. I really didn't feel good, but I knew that some food and company might help right now.

Slowly, I sat myself up in bed and swung my legs over the side of the bed. When I stood up, the room spun a little but I forced myself to shake it off in order to make it down stairs. The hallway light wasn't on, but I could hear quiet voices coming from downstairs. Quietly, I made my way to the top of the stairs and could tell that they were in some kind of meeting. All of them, I could pick out the voices when I got halfway down the stairs and stopped.

"She deserves the right to know who we are if she is going to become an official Cullen." I heard Carlisle say. This causes my heart to skip a beat and for me to sink down to the ground.  _Official Cullen_?

I let his voice rattle around in my mind for a moment before getting up and making it down the stairs, listening to them creak with every step. I knew that they could all hear me at this point, but I didn't really care. I thought it was better for them to have a heads up that I was on my way down anyways.

Once I made it down, I could see everyone freeze and look in my direction. But, everyone had a look of relief on their faces and some smiles were flashed my way. "I didn't mean to interrupt." I whispered, holding onto the railing for balance, "But, I was just looking for someone to be with...it got really lonely up there." I bit my bottom lip, looking at the floor.

Before I knew it, Esme and Edward were on their feet and I was in their arms. There seemed to be some kind of boundary/protectiveness thing going on, but Edward let his mother 'win' and bring me to where she and Carlisle were sitting at. The doctor's arms were held wide open and he directed me to sit on his knee comfortably, wrapping his arms around me in an embrace. I was a mixture of exhausted and weak, so I just let myself be engulfed by the hug.

Edward was across from me, looking me up and down. Almost like he was looking for something wrong. "Is there anything I can do for you angel?" He asked quietly, the soft smile not leaving his face.

I just shook my head, leaning more heavily onto Carlisle. "I don't think so. Just this hug is good enough." Everyone looked at me and Carlisle for a couple of minutes. A wave of calmness seemed to fall over the whole room, and everything seemed to be going back to the way things were.

Carlisle cleared his throat, pulling me out from staring at everyone and to look at him. "It's late. Why doesn't everyone head to bed, and we can continue this discussion in the morning?"

Quickly, Alice jumped from her chair and came to give me kisses on my forehead. Once she finished, Emmett seemed to take her place right away and placed two on the top of my head. Jasper sends a smile and a wave in my direction when Alice links arms with him.

What surprised me was Rosalie's smile on her face. She looked relieved, but I couldn't tell if it was because of me or something else. Her boyfriend wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "I'm glad you didn't do anything stupid Maggie." She said, not a sarcastic tone in her voice at all, "I knew you were a smart girl."

Finally, Edward stood with a look from Esme and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. How I missed that kind of comfort from him. "I missed you Maggie." He whispered, standing straight and looking into my eyes.

"I missed you too Ed." I smiled, sad to see him to see him go, but knowing that he would listen to his mom and dad.

Esme, Carlisle, and I watched him and the others leave the kitchen and head upstairs. Slowly, the doctor moved me from his embrace into the open chair between him and his wife. There was a comfortable silence between the three of us, the happy couple exchanging silent looks between each other before turning to talk to me.

"Margaret," The doctor began, giving me a sympathetic smile, "All of us were so worried about you sweetheart. You, locking yourself away like that, it could have been dangerous for you." Carlisle explained, "If you were in there any long, you could have needed hospitalization. We understand that you need this time to grieve, but there are much better ways than isolation or starvation." His doctor's voice was seeping through and into his words.

His wife jumped in, "We aren't upset with you Margaret." Esme said, giving me her hand to hold, "But if you ever feel the need to hide away again, just know that any one of us here would be happy to try and help you through it."

I didn't feel tears in my eyes like I usually would in a situation like this, but I did feel guilty. "My heart hurts so much, and my body didn't want to do anything other than be still. But now, I think I don't want to be lonely, and need people to be there or I'll start to go crazy." That seemed to be a great response for them. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen both looked happy with it anyways, "But, I did hear something that I want to ask you about… I wasn't trying to listen in, I promise, but I heard Carlisle say something about 'official Cullen'..."

There was a different kind of silence in the air after I said that with Esme and her husband looking shocked. Before I could apologize for overstepping any boundaries, Carlisle started his answer. "Margaret, have you noticed that all of us do not usually partake in some of the things that you do? Can you name a time when we all sat down for a meal together? Or when someone would go to bed before you would?" I took a moment to think, and could not think of one time during my almost four months here when any of that was true. After thinking, I shook my head and let him continue, "Margaret, we agree that as a family, you deserve to know this before we ask you if you would like to be legally adopted into the Cullen family...We are all vampires."

I wrinkled my eyebrows, confused by his answer. "But...are you sure?"

The two of them laughed, looking like they didn't expect that to be my response to such huge news. "Yes, dear, we're sure." Esme said, "Carlisle changed a majority of us, while others were found and brought into the family."

There were a million questions running through my mind at this point. Was I scared? A little. But, there was more that I needed to know about all of this, like if Hollywood got anything right. "Then," I started, "is that why Edward's hands are so cold when he holds mine?"

"Yes." Carlisle chuckled, "There isn't any warm blood in our bodies in order to bring heat anywhere." Esme and I joined in with the laughter.

Once the laughter between the three of us died down, it fell quiet once more. "How are you Margaret?" The vampire mother asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Honestly," I confessed, "I feel fine. If you really wanted to hurt me, you would've by now. This just clears up a lot of weird stuff more than anything."

A huge smile grew on both of their faces, their eyes wrinkling a little. "Well then," Carlisle started, "Margaret Eileen Kringle," He smiled, reaching for his smiling wife's hand across the table, "Would you like to become a Cullen?"

That's when the tears finally spilled out, a sniffle coming and I covered my mouth with my hands. All I could do was nod for an answer as I let my potential new parents bring me into their strong embraces.


End file.
